t'./.y .,,/,/ ~ 

UNITED STATES OF~AME RIC A . . | 



V 



THE 



SIX HUNDRED THOUSAND 

COMBATANTS; 

OB, 

THE CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS COXQUER- 
IXG THE PROMISED LAXD. 

BY 

BROTHER IPHILIIPIPEI. 

TRANSLATED BY 

CHRISTINE FARYILLE. 



NEW YORK: 
P. O'SHEA, 104 BLEECKER STREET. 
1864. 



y& ' 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1864. 
By P. O'SHEA, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District. Court of the United State! 
for the Southern District of 2s"ew York. 



A. ALVOF.D. STEREOTYPE!* AND PRJXTER. 



BISHOPRIC OF VERSAILLES. 



Having seen the favorable report of a publica- 
tion called w The Six Hundred Thousand Com- 
batants," we approve of this booh as highly 
adapted for the edification of its readers. 

*f« PIERRE, 
Bishop of Versailles. 

Versailles, March 3Ls£, 1860. 



PEEIAOE. 



How beautiful it is to contemplate Divine 
Providence in those grand bodies which com- 
pose the universe, and which are governed 
with a skill and a wisdom so far above human 
conception ! How admirable it is to see the 
regularity and the majesty of the course of 
those myriads of stars which light up the 
heavens with such magnificence! And how 
much greater will be our admiration, if we also 
contemplate Providence in the infinite number 
of plants, trees, and of living beings which are 
spread over the surface of the earth, which fill 
the ponds, the rivers, the waters of the seas, 
which find food and necessary subsistence for 
the preservation of their lives, and which re- 
produce from generation to generation, with- 
out confusion whatsoever in their species. 
1* 



G 



PREFACE. 



If the study of Divine Providence ruling 
and governing the universe be admirable, it is 
not less so regarding the human race. We 
have already had cause to admire the care and 
the maternal solicitude of Providence toward the 
Patriarchs, in a book entitled : The first P?7- 
grims (Les premiers Pelerins). Here we shall 
see the same solicitude for a people cared for 
and guided — as a good mother would her 
children whom she loves, and for whom she 
procures the necessary food for the life of the 
body and the soul. 

In the origin, this people formed but a 
simple family ; and a patriarch in the midst of 
his twelve children governed it. T wenty years 
had scarcely elapsed, when this family was 
composed of sixty persons ; and four hundred 
years later, though groaning under the op- 
pression of a most cruel bondage, it formed a 
formidable people, numbering over two mil- 
lions of souls, six hundred thousand of whom 
were fighting men. Under the protection 
of Providence, this new nation was delivered 
from a cruel tyranny which tended to anni- 



PREFACE. 7 

hilate it ; and guided by Providence through 
a vast wilderness, the Israelites marched forth 
in good order under the standards of twelve 
tribes, in order to conquer a land which was, 
according to the figurative expression of the 
Scriptures, flowing with milk and honey. 
Who would dare to resist them, when the 
rivers and the seas respected them and most 
marvellously separated their waters to afford 
them a free passage! "Who would harm 
them, when in the midst of the burning sands 
of Arabia, and during the long period of forty 
years, Heaven supplied them with delicious 
bread and abundance of meat ? Streams of 
clear water flowed from the most arid rocks, 
and furnished them with a pure and refreshing 
beverage throughout their long and wearisome 
expeditions. And this same Providence, for- 
ever watchful of their wants, preserved their 
garments, and their shoes, whilst he covered 
them with a rich and mighty pavilion which 
sheltered them from the scorching rays of the 
sun, and protected them from the suffocating 
heat of the burning sand, which otherwise 



s 



PEEFACE. 



would have been insupportable. And is it not 
Providence again who raised up for this people 
a man, of eminent virtue and science, a thau- 
maturgus who performed miracles, and who was 
their leader, their general, and after Jesus Christ, 
of whom he was the figure, the greatest legis- 
lator ever known, and whose laws, to this day, 
form the basis and the support of all good gov- 
ernments. Under him the people wandered for 
many years in the wilderness, but guided and 
protected by the aegis of the God of battles, 
they conquered the chosen land which had been 
promised to them. At their very approach 
the strongest walls fell before them ; idolaters 
were vanquished, driven away, and extermi- 
nated, their impious monarchs murdered, and 
at length, this people elect, these children of 
God, became absolute masters of the beautiful 
and fertile fields of their enemies. 

Such is the interesting history of the children 
of the First Pilgrims, which forms this vol- 
ume. And though it has been destined as a 
separate book, it may be considered a sequel 
to the above mentioned one. It offers the 



PREFACE. 9 

same plan and the same parts. It will like- 
wise be of some utility for the example and 
the instruction of Christian families, for chil- 
dren, and especially for those who study sacred 
history. Here they will find all the develop- 
ments and explanations of certain facts and of 
passages which might otherwise puzzle them. 

We shall consider ourselves amply rewarded, 
if, by our earnest endeavors, we succeed in 
inspiring an entire filial confidence in Di- 
vine Providence. 



THE 



CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS 

IN SLAVERY. 



EXILE PREFERRED TO GLORY. 
I. 

CHILDREN THROWN IXTO THE XILE. 

Before Jesus Christ, 1131. 

When the Patriarch Jacob had learned that 
his son Joseph ruled with authority over all 
Egypt, he departed for that country in the 
hope of seeing him once more before he died. 
He took with him all his children and their 
families, and they settled in the land of Gessen. 

The twelve sons of Israel were the heads of 
the twelve tribes which formed the people of 
God. These are their names : Reuben, Simeon, 
Levi, Dan, Judah, Napthaii, Gad, Aser, Issa- 
char, Zabulon, Joseph, and Benjamin. Joseph 
was the head of two tribes which took the 
names of his two sons Ephraim and Man asses. 



12 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS* 



However, God poured down His blessings 
upon the children of Israel, so that daring near 
half a century, they multiplied in a prodigious 
manner. They were but sixty-two when they 
entered Egypt, and then they formed a great 
a*nd powerful nation in the midst of this people 
who received them formerly with so much 
eagerness. 

But the memory of the benefactor of Egypt 
was beginning to be forgotten amongst the 
Egyptians, and the new Pharaoh had not 
known Joseph. He saw with jealousy the rising 
power of the new people of Israel ; they were all 
united together ; they possessed great riches ; 
they were laborious, skilful, enterprising in 
commerce, in agriculture and in arts ; he feared 
their strength, their courage, and their warlike 
propensities. Then addressing himself to his 
people : " Behold," said he to them, " Israel has 
become a nation in itself ; her power is already 
greater than ours, and we must fear her ; if we 
leave her in peace, her power will grow stronger 
and stronger in our midst ; if war is declared, 
this people will join our enemies, and they will 
destroy us by their strength, and after defeating 
us, and stripping us of every thing, they will go 
settle elsewhere, carrying with them all the 
riches they will have taken from us. I shall 



CHILDREN THROWN INTO THE NILE. 13 



anticipate their designs; I shall oppose their 
departure, elude their oppression ; let us then 
overwhelm them with hard labor and keep them 
in slavery ; but we must lessen their strength 
and their number." 

The prince, therefore, began by confining them 
to the country assigned to them ; he charged 
them with exactions and taxes, and condemned 
them to labor at the public works, like slaves or 
prisoners of war. They served as masons for 
the building of large edifices. They likewise 
obliged them to prepare and to make the ce- 
ment, mortar, and bricks with which they were 
to work. To keep them continually occupied, 
the king determined upon having two cities 
built, one named Phiton, the other Rameses. 
They toiled in the sweat of their brow, and to 
complete their misfortune they were not paid 
but maltreated ; thus they were condemned to 
the hardest work, to the most cruel servitude, 
and, moreover, they were insulted and abused. 

But the Lord their God had a watchful eye 
over them, and despite these persecutions, they 
multiplied and they strengthened, and they were 
a source of fear to their tyrants. Pharaoh tried 
all possible means to prevent them from mul- 
tiplying, and he ordered that all male children 
should be murdered at their birth. But the 



14 



CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



God of Israel touched with a fear of his holy 
name the hearts of those who were charged to 
execute this order, and this barbarous persecu- 
tion did not take place, and God rewarded 
them with happiness and abundance. 

The king perceiving that his orders had not 
been attended to, punished severely those whom 
he had charged to execute them. He then 
resolved to use violence, and he ordered all the 
male children of the Hebrews to be thrown into 
the Nile. This was executed with the strictest 
rigor. But what power have the mightiest 
potentates of the universe against the Almigh- 
ty, when He has willed to save His children ? 
(Exod. i.) 

Before the people of God entered the prom 
ised land, they had to suffer exile, persecution, 
and captivity; figure of the holy Church, and 
the true people of God, who cannot enter heaven 
but after exile, persecution, lamentations and 
tears. 



THE RUSH BASKET. 



15 



II. 

THE RUSH BASKET. 
Before Jesus Christ, 1725. 

The affliction was general, and Jochabed, 
whose husband was an Israelite named Amram, 
of the tribe of Levi, was mother of two chil- 
dren ; one, a daughter, named Mary, the other, 
a son, named Aaron, who later became famous 
amongst his compatriots. When the persecu- 
tion was at its utmost, Jochabecl gave birth to an- 
other son; she little knew to what a glorious 
mission he was destined, at some future time ! 

She found the child so beautiful, so engaging, 
that she resolved to save it ; she therefore con- 
trived to conceal it carefully in the house. 
Three months elapsed since its birth and 
nothing had happened to reveal the child's ex- 
istence, but the fatal moment of search, which 
was made in the families of the Hebrews, was 
at hand, and something should be done. Joch- 
abed made, in the form of a small boat, a rush 
basket, closely interwoven and coated over with 
pitch and bitumen. She put the child into this 
little cradle and carried it to the river. After 
having closed the basket she placed it amongst 



16 CHILDREN OF THE PATKIAECHS. 



the reeds, fearing that the little bark might too 
soon be carried away by the rapidity of the 
current. Then she told her daughter Mary, 
aged eight or ten years, to keep the basket in 
sight, in order that she might know what should 
become of it ; she also bid her to hasten and tell 
her of its fate. 

Whilst Jochabed departed from the river with 
sorrow in her heart, God kept a watchful eye 
over this child, and He led there another woman 
who was king Pharaoh's own daughter. She 
was accompanied by her gentlewomen, and she 
went thither to bathe. She walked in advance 
of them on the river side, when suddenly she 
perceived the pretty closed basket that floated 
in the midst of the reeds. Struck at such a 
novel sight, she sent one of her companions to 
bring it to her ; her orders were speedily exe- 
cuted, and the basket was opened ; when, O, 
surprise ! a lovely child appeared to their won- 
dering eyes. Its beauty, its innocent and gen- 
tle appearance, its tears moved her and filled her 
heart with feelings of tenderness and compas- 
sion. "It is," said she, "the son of some of the 
Hebrews ; I cannot see it perish, I shall save it !" 
Mary, who had not lost sight of her brother, 
and hearing what the princess had said, ap- 
proached respectfully and asked with simplicity, 



THE EUSH BASKET. 



17 



" Is it your wish to have a Hebrew woman to 
nurse this little child?" "Hasten away then, 
my girl," answered the princess, " and bring rne 
a nurse." 

Never was an order more promptly or more 
joyfully executed. Mary sped home to • her 
mother and related all that had passed, and 
both of them returned to the spot where 
Pharaoh's daughter was caressing the innocent 
little creature. " Take this child," said the 
princess, "nurse it ; and I shall liberally reward 
you for your services." 

What happiness ! what joy ! for a mother to 
be charged with the care of a son who had 
been condemned to die ! The princess gave him 
the name of Moses, saying : " I have saved him 
from the water." This is the signification of 
the word in Hebrew. (Exod. ii.) 

Such are the decrees of Providence, who 
brings all things to a wise and just end. 
Through fear Jochabed had abandoned her son 
and it was given back to her; she is even paid 
for a service for which she would have given all 
the gold in the world. Pharaoh's daughter 
saved from the waters of the Nile a child who 
some day, would miraculously bury in the 
depths of the sea, the successors of this cruel 
prince who condemned so many innocent vic- 



2* 



18 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS . 



tims to perish. Thus Herod, in the massacre 
of the children of Bethlehem, had in view the 
death of the Saviour, and the Saviour alone es- 
caped the massacre. After such palpable facts, 
who would dare oppose the designs of the Al- 
mighty ? 

m. 

LOYE OF VIRTUE. 

After leaving the princess, Jochabed hastened 
home. Her first step was to show her husband 
their saved child, and to tell him all that had 
transpired concerning him. They were full of 
joy and gratitude, and they praised the Lord 
who had been so good in their behalf. 

It may well be imagined how this child, so 
dear to God, was loved by its family, and with 
what religious care he was brought up. True, 
■they took him from time to time to the court, 
where Pharaoh's daughter never saw him with- 
out conceiving for her protege stronger senti- 
ments of friendship. When his understanding 
was sufficiently developed, Amram and Jochabed 
taught him the religion of the true God, the 
history of the creation, the deluge, and the life 
of the Patriarchs. They related to him the 
mystery of his birth, the miraculous manner in 



LOYE OF VIRTUE. 



19 



which he was saved, the misfortunes of his peo- 
ple, and their hopes. But a greater master 
than ( his parents engraved in the heart of the 
young Israelite their wise instructions, and 
thenceforward he was inspired with a generous 
contempt for the honors which awaited him at 
the court of the Pharaohs, and this heroic cour- 
age made him prefer the company of the op- 
pressed faithful, to those who spent their lives 
in palaces, in splendor and in riches. 

At length came the time when the child 
should be restored to the princess. This was a 
great trial for a youth of his age — he was not 
more than fourteen years old. Pharaoh's 
daughter had adopted him as her ©wn son, she 
had great affection for him, and she destined 
for him a brilliant but pagan education : seduc- 
tive pleasures, pompous sights, a career capable 
of flattering his young ambition ; snares, allure- 
ments, and temptations were offered to him, 
but he was fortified against them ! The great 
advantages which he might have obtained from 
his education, from the instructions of the most 
learned men of Egypt, the good-will and the 
favor of the king, his influence amongst the great 
bf the kingdom, all were reserved for the exe- 
cution of the designs of Providence and for the 
benefit of his brethren. For it is probable that 



20 



CHILDREN OF TEE PATEIAECHS. 



he visited his father from time, to time and that 
Amram impressed upon his mind the merciless 
captivity of his brethren, and the hopes of their 
deliverance. 

And let us again admire how Providence 
triumphed over Pharaoh ; this prince wished 
to exterminate the children of the Hebrews, 
and behold, he shelters within the walls of his 
palace, and he caresses as his grandson, he who 
was to deliver the people from the cruel bond- 
age wherein he held them. 

IV. 

GENEROUS SACRIFICE. 

Before Jesus Christ, 1685. 

Whex Moses was forty years of age, and 
had a perfect knowledge of the Egyptians, 
he felt that God had grand designs in view 
for him ; he therefore scorned all worldly 
grandeur, and animated with a firm and gener- 
ous faith, he resolved to join his oppressed 
brethren. He renounced the title of adopted 
son of Pharaoh's daughter, preferring to be 
afflicted with the people of God, and to suffer 
with them an unjust tyranny, than to live in 
the midst of the glory and favor which the 
court of a powerful monarch offered him. 

He abandoned, then, the palace of the 



GENEROUS SACRIFICE, 



21 



Pharaohs, and went forth amongst the Is- 
raelites, who suffered the most cruel captivity. 
One day that he was in their midst, and was 
lamenting over their sad fate, he perceived at a 
distance an Egyptian who was violently beat- 
ing one of the Hebrews. Moses was seized 
with indignation, and he flew to the rescue of 
his brother. He attacked the infuriated Egyp- 
tian, and he slew him. Fully aware of the 
danger of such a deed, he told the Israelite, 
whom he had delivered from the hands of his 
enemy, to keep the secret, and he buried the 
dead body in the sand. He thought that the 
Israelites would comprehend by this action 
that God had destined him to deliver them, but 
they were unwilling to submit to him, and in- 
stead of profiting by his zeal and his courage, 
they exposed him to the fury of Pharaoh. The 
very day after he had punished the cruel 
Egyptian, Moses returned to the country, and 
there he had the misfortune to witness a scene 
which afflicted him more than that of the pre- 
vious day. Two Hebrews were fighting ; Moses 
demanded the cause of their quarrel, and having 
decided against the transgressor, he said to him 
with authority: " Why do you strike your fellow- 
being? it little becomes you to kill one another 
Whilst the Egyptians are leagued against us ?' 5 



22 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



" And why do you concern yourself about us ?" 
proudly replied the offender; " who then has 
instituted you our judge? You would likely 
treat us as the Egyptian whom you killed yes- 
terday !" At these words, Moses was seized 
with surprise and fear. He thought that this 
deed with which he was reproached, would 
soon reach the King's ears. And indeed, Pha- 
raoh was apprised of the death of the Egyp- 
tian, which was represented to him under the 
darkest colors, and death again was to be the 
punishment of the author of the crime. To 
elude the vengeance of Pharaoh, he fled to the 
land of the Midianites, which was situated on 
the borders of the Red Sea. (Exod. ii.) 

Far preferable is it to suffer exile with a 
noble, just, and generous heart, than to do 
wrong and to remain the favorite of a prince, 
and to enjoy the happiness of the impious. 
Justice and truth are more valuable than all 
the gold in the world : so thought Moses, so 
think honest men. 



THE WELL OF MTDIAK. 



23 



THE TERM OF A IMG EXILE. 
I. 

THE WELL OF MXDIAJsT. 

Moses halted at a short distance from the 
dwelling of the priest of Midian. This priest 
adored the true God, and his name was Raguel 
or Jethro ; lie had seven daughters, whom he 
occupied guarding the herds. Such, then and 
there, was the employment of honorable fami- 
lies, and girls were not exempted therefrom. 

The illustrious fugitive, like Jacob, when he 
arrived in Mesopotamia, rested himself near the 
well. He saw the daughters of Jethro filling 
their troughs with water for their flocks. 
Their work near over, some shepherds hap- 
pened to come that way, and they thought to 
set aside these laborious girls, to use the water 
which they had destined for their cattle. Moses 
noticed their rude behavior, and felt indignant 
at them. He defended the shepherdesses and 
sent away their usurpers ; and having aided 
them to draw sufficient water, he took charge 
of their herds. Pleased at this kind interfer- 
ence of the stranger, Jethro's daughters thanked 
him, and having inquired whence he came, 



24 



CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



they returned to their father's house. Having 
been assisted in their work, they had returned 
home sooner than was their wont to do. Their 
father desired to know the cause of their early 
return. "It is," said they, "because an Egyp- 
tian whom we do not know, defended us 
against the violence of some strange shepherds. 
He drew water for us, and he gave drink to 
our cattle." " Where is the man ?" exclaimed 
Jethro ; " you should have given him marks of 
gratitude ; and you should have conducted him 
hither. Retrace your steps, and endeavor to 
find your benefactor : let him come and partake 
of our repast." 

Moses was still sitting near the well, and 
Jethro's daughters invited him to follow them 
to their father's house. He readily accepted, 
and he found so much kindness, so much sym- 
pathy, from Jethro, that they were soon united 
by the sincerest friendship. Jethro made him 
promise that he would remain in his family, 
and later he married one of his daughters 
named Sephora. For forty years Moses was 
herdsman for his father-in-law. (Exod. ii.) 

A good action is never accomplished in vain ; 
and if it be not rewarded in this life, it surely 
will in the next. 



FLAMES WHICH DO NOT COXSUME. 25 



II. 

FLAMES WHICH DO XOT CONSUME. 

Moses expected the fulfilment of the promise 
of Almighty God regarding His people. Am- 
ram, his father, was dead, leaving to his chil- 
dren the tradition of all past events, which 
he had received from Levi, his grandfather ; and 
Levi from his great grandfather, Isaac ; and 
Isaac from his father. 

Pharaoh and those of his courtiers who had 
sworn the death of Moses, no longer existed; 
and Moses, the illustrious exile, could return 
without fear, to Egypt. Xever was his pres- 
ence more needed. The new monarch, whose 
name was also Pharaoh (a name common to all 
kings of Egypt), oppressed the Israelites more 
than ever. The latter were bitterly lamenting 
under the heavy yoke which overwhelmed 
them, but they anxiously expected the day of 
their deliverance. Their prayers reached the 
throne of God, who heard them with compas- 
sion, and was willing to be merciful to them, 
and to execute His promise in their behalf. 
One day that Moses was driving the cattle of 
Jethro, and was far advanced in the desert, 
he found himself at the foot of Mount Horeb. 
3 



26 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS; 

This mountain is situated near the famous 
Mount Sinai, which God had chosen to be 
the theatre of so many wonders. Suddenly 
God appeared to him. amid a burning hush, 
and under the figure of a bright Same, that 
was resplendent with light, but it neither con- 
sumed the branches nor the leaves of the 
bush. Moses was amazed at such a marvellous 
occurrence. "I shall draw near." said he, 
"and I shall see vrhy this bush does not burn, 
though so dazzling with fire." He eagerly ap- 
proached it, when the Lord, desiring him to 
contemplate this vision, with due respect to 
His majesty, made His voice heard by these 
words : "Moses ! Moses !" — "Here I am. Lord,"' 
answered he. " Approach not nearer ; take off 
your shoes, for the ground on which you tread 
is sanctified by the presence of your God. I 
am the God of your father, the God of Abra- 
ham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.*' 

On hearing these words. Moses trembled, for 
he was seized with a religious fear, he covered 
his face with his hands, and he dared not raise 
his eyes whence came the voice. " I have seen 
with compassion, " continued the Lord, ; - the 
calamities of my people, their cries and their 
lamentations have reached mine ear : I have 
heard their complaints, I am aware of the 



FIAMES WHICH DO XOT CONSUME. 27 

cruelty of their taskmasters, I have seen the 
multitude and the violence of the evils with 
which they are afflicted ; touched therefore at 
their grievances, I descend from the height of 
my glory to deliver them. I shall take them 
out of the hands of the Egyptians, and from 
that country where they are slaves ; I shall send 
them into a fertile, rich, and extensive land, now 
occupied by the Canaanites. It shall be accom- 
plished ; the children of Israel shall not implore 
in vain the assistance of God, and the Egyptians 
shall not continue to oppress them with impu- 
nity. Prepare yourself, Moses ! arm yourself 
with zeal ; it is you whom I destine to go forth 
to Pharaoh to force him to let the Israelites 
depart from Egypt. (Exod. iii.) 

What goodness on the part of God ! He loves 
His children as a tender father, He pities those 
who suffer, He hears their sighs, and He counts 
their tears. Who could not love so compassion- 
ate a Father ? who could refuse Him his con- 
fidence ? 







28 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 

Ill 

THE MIRACULOUS ROD, 

Moses was seized with fear ; and whether 
from timidity, or diffidence in himself, he ex- 
cused, himself for a long time; it seemed, as it 
were, that the Lord should compromise with 
His servant, that He should answer for whatever 
was to happen, and that after dealing gently 
with him He should make him comprehend 
how terrible His wrath would otherwise be. 

God then, had made known His will unto 
Moses. "Ah! who am I, O Lord, that I 
should go to Pharaoh, and should deliver the 
children of Israel ?" " I shall be with you," 
replied the Lord ; " all you undertake shall 
be marked by some miracle. When you shall 
have delivered my people, you shall offer me 
victims at the foot of this mountain whereon I 
shall give you my commands." " I must then 
go forth amongst the Israelites," answered 
Moses, " and I shall say: the God of your fathers 
has sent me to you. But if they ask me the 
name of this Gocl, what answer shall I give ?" 
" I am who am" replied the Lord ; "go and 
tell your brethren : He who sends rne to you is 
the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, 



THE MIPvACULOUS ROD. 



29 



the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob ; this is my 
name forever ; under this merciful name shall I 
make myself known to my people in the ages to 
come. Go, assemble the elders of Israel, and 
tell them all that I have said unto you : The 
God of my fathers has appeared to me, he has 
said : in my goodness I have visited my people. 
I have seen the evils with which they are 
stricken, I shall withdraw them from this abyss 
of suffering to send them forth into a land flow- 
ing with milk and honey. Your brethren will 
listen to your voice, and at the head of them 
you will go before Pharaoh to ask him to let 
the people depart into the desert to offer sacri- 
fices to God : he will not hear you, then I shall 
extend my hand and many plagues shall afflict 
him and his people ; and the king, severely 
chastised, will allow you to go, and you shall 
carry with you the rich spoils of Egypt." " But, 
O Lord, the Hebrews to whom you send me, 
will not believe me, they will look upon me as 
an impostor, and they will say the Lord has not 
appeared unto you." " Well ! I shall give you 
something which will convince the incredulous. 
What do you hold in your hand?" "A rod," 
responded Moses. " Cast it on the ground," 
said the Lord to him. Moses obeyed, and im- 
mediately it was changed into a serpent, so that 
3* 



30 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



he trembled with fear and was about to flee ; 
but God said to him : " Fear not, take the ser- 
pent by the tail." Moses took hold of it, 
and the serpent was again transformed into a 
rod. God said also to him, "Put your hand 
into your bosom." Moses obeyed, and he 
withdrew his hand covered with a leprosy as 
white as snow. " Put back your hand into your 
bosom," said the Lord, and Moses withdrew it, 
perfectly cured. " Whatsoever I have done 
before you," added the Lord, " you shall do 
before the Hebrews, and by those miracles, 
they will acknowledge that the God of your 
lathers has appeared unto you ; if they do not 
believe you, you will take, in their presence, 
water from the river, and you will pour it on 
the sand and it will change into blood." " But O 
Lord, I implore you," replied Moses, " to con- 
sider that I do not speak fluently, neither hereto- 
fore, nor since your servant has heard your 
voice." The resistance of Moses, or rather his 
great timidity, had something very strange in it. 
But God continued to manifest His patience 
towards him. " Who made the tongue of 
man ?" said the Lord to him; " who gave him 
speech ? who made the deaf, the dumb, the 
blind, and he who sees? Is it not I? Go 
forth then in peace, and do my will ; I shall 



THE MIEACULOrS EOD. 



3] 



speak by your lips, and I shall inspire you with 
whatsoever you shall say/' Moses's heart failed 
him, yet taking a supplicating tone he said : "I 
pray you, O Lord, to send Him whom you have 
promised to send." But the time had not 
come, and the darkness should pass away before 
the truth* appeared to the world. 

The many excuses of Moses offended God, 
but he said to him, " You have a brother named 
Aaron, who is also of the tribe of Levi; he can 
express himself with eloquence and grace. I 
shall send him to meet you, and he will be over- 
joyed. He shall speak for you, apprise him 
then of all that has transpired. He shall be 
your interpreter to the people, and you shall be 
mine to him ; in such like manner you shall 
both learn the means whereby you are to exe- 
cute my will. Keep the rod you hold, for it 
shall be the instrument of many miracles." 
Moses no longer showed resistance, and he 
immediately obeyed the Lord. (Exod. iii., iv.) 

Diffidence in one's self should have its limits, 
otherwise it degenerates into pusillanimity, just 
as self-confidence and boldness may change 

* That is to say. the Messiah, which was to deliver the 
world from a servitude more cruel than that of Egypt. 
This is why Moses asked that this Saviour should be 
sent to deliver the people of Israel. 



32 CHILDREN OF THE PATEIAKCHS. 



into presumption. When God speaks to us, 
we should prove to Him the sincere confidence 
we have in His power. 

IV. 

HAPPY MEETING AT MOUNT HOREB. 

Moses had manifested great weakness, or 
rather a want of confidence in his own strength, 
but he was incapable of revolt. He therefore 
bent his steps towards Midian, and he said to 
Jethro, his father in-law : " I shall return to my 
brethren who are suffering in captivity, I wish 
to see if they are still alive." " Go in peace," said 
Jethro to him; and Moses took his wife Sephora 
and his two children ; he placed them on an ass, 
and they departed for Egypt, Moses holding 
all the while the miraculous rod, called the 
Lord's rod, by reason of its performing so many 
wonders. His younger child had not been cir- 
cumcised, and the angel of the Lord appeared 
unto him, and he was in anger. Sephora took 
therefore a stone and inflicted upon him this 
painful operation. She then resolved to return 
to her father with her two sons. Moses 
thought that such was the will of God, who 
wished to make him comprehend that a strange 
woman and her young children would be an 



HAPPY MEETING AT MOUNT HOEEB. 



33 



encumbrance for a man charged with the direc- 
tion of the people of God. 

However, God, who had spoken to Moses at 
the foot of Mount Horeb, warned also his bro- 
ther Aaron : " Depart, 1 ' said He to him ; " delay 
not to meet your brother in the desert ; he will 
inform you of my designs." Aaron went forth 
immediately, and with full confidence in the 
Lord, he joined Moses at the foot of Mount 
Horeb. They embraced each other with all 
the marks of the most tender love. 

Then Moses acquainted his brother of the 
orders of the Lord, His promises, and the 
charges He had given them both. Aaron be- 
lieved, and he humbly submitted to the will of 
God, and with joy did he set himself to the 
deliverance of his nation. 

The union of these two great men was the 
salvation of Israel. They went forth together 
into the land of Goshen, to inform the Israelites 
of the solemn mission wherewith they were 
honored. The Hebrews took great care not to 
confound their tribes, and to conserve their 
genealogy. The heads of the tribes and those 
of the families were called the elders, and in 
general deliberations, they represented the na- 
tion. These elders were called by the ambas- 
sadors of God to assemble. Aaron related to 
3 



34 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



them lengthily all that had taken place at 
Horeb, and Hoses confirmed his mission by 
operating miracles, as the Lord had command- 
ed him. 

Their first undertakings were crowned with 
success. The Israelites believed that God had 
taken pity on His people, and that the time of 
their liberty had come. They knelt and. adored 
God, and they committed themselves to the 
guidance of Moses, who was then eighty years 
of age, and his brother was eighty-three. (Exod. 
iv.) 

It is admirable to consider the union of those 
two illustrious men ; but it is in a degree more 
so in Aaron, who conceived no jealousy to- 
wards his younger brother, who was chosen 
by God to be the true deliverer of Israel, whilst 
he was only his minister and his interpreter. 



INCREASE OF LABOR. 



35 



THE 

CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS 

DELIVERED FROM BONDAGE. 



STRANGE OBDURACY. 
L 

INCREASE OF LABOR. 

Before Jesus Christ, 1645. 

In freeing the Israelites from bondage, it was 
in the views of Providence that they should 
meet with insuperable obstacles and extraor- 
dinary contradictions. Nevertheless, the Israel- 
ites flattered themselves that Moses alone 
should undergo the difficulties. This base 
spirit caused Moses the deepest sorrow ; so 
that he had less trouble to overcome the resist- 
ance of an impious tyrant than to hold in sub- 
mission a nation qualified with the title of 
children of God. Moses and his brother entered 
on their mission with fortitude. They presented 



3 3 



CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



themselves forthwith before Pharaoh, and said 
to him : " Hear, prince, the commands of the 
Lord, the God of Israel. Give my people the 
liberty to go forth into the desert to offer 
victims to the Lord." Bat this impious king 
responded : " Who is the Lord of whom you 
speak ? Wherefore should He exact that I 
obey His will, and that I give liberty to this 
people ? Xo ; I know not your God, and Israel 
fhall not leave my kingdom," "Prince," re- 
plied they, "if you do not know the Lord, we 
know Him. He has commanded us to journey 
during three days from Egypt, to go into the 
desart and to immolate victims to Him. Lie 
must be obeyed ; and if we are rebellious, He 
will punish us either by plagues or by the 
avenging sword." "You alone have raised 
your people to revolt ; you have prevented them 
to pursue the works I have procured them. 
Begone from my presence, and resume your 
occupations." 

Immediately Pharaoh assembled the officers 
who were appointed to oversee the works of 
the Israelites, and he said : " You see how this 
people- multiply ; what would it be if they were 
at rest ? Far from lessening their labor, I shall 
increase it, so that they have no time for thought. 
Until now they have been furnished with the 



INCREASE OF LAEOE. 



S7 



necessary straw for bricks ; make retrench- 
ment, and let them go forth into the fields and 
gather it. They have not enough work, this is 
why they complain : 'Lei us go into the desert 
and make sacrifices to God.' Let us crush 
them with labor, and allow them not to listen 
to impostors, who deceive them." Those orders 
were executed ; they were overtasked with 
work, and they were obliged to supply the 
usual quantity of bricks. If they neglected do- 
ing so, they were thrown into prison ; they 
were ill-treated, and even whipped like vile 
slaves. Not believing that the king could have 
issued orders so unjust, so contrary to reason, 
they rushed in crowds to the palace to report 
the treatment inflicted upon them. They were 
responded to with the direst contempt : "You 
have not enough work ; you are in idleness. 
'Let us go, 3 say you, 'into the desert, and let 
us offer sacrifices to our God.' Hence ! to your 
work ; I have said it ; you shall not be supplied 
with straw, and you shall accomplish your or- 
dinary task." Then they went to meet Moses 
and Aaron, who were stationed in the neigh- 
borhood of the palace, in order to learn the 
answer they should receive. 4; You are the cause,*' 
said they to him, in wrath, " that we are reduced 
to such affliction. Wemust die under the yoke 



3S 



CHILDEEX CF THE PATKTABCHS, 



of the Egyptians. You have angered the king ; 
yon have made ns odious in his sight ; yon have 
placed in the hands of this tyrant a sword 
whereby we shall perish. That God be your 
judge and ours F 5 (Exod. v.) 

A minister of the Lord, or any superior who 
consecrates himself to the salvation of his 
brethren, must expect murmurs and discontent 
from them. Human zeal may be discouraged, 
and imdertakings may be opposed by ingrates, 
who themselves should be interested in its suc- 
cess, and they abandon the cause. But such 
was not the character of Moses. 

II. 

A SERPENT. 

Moses listened patiently to the complaints 
of his people ; he did not reproach them, nor 
did he even endeavor to reason with them ; but 
he unbosomed himself to God. In such like 
maimer should we act in the depth of our 
troubles. " O Lord," said he, with a tender liber- 
ty ; u why should you thus continue to afflict 
your people ? Why did you send me to promise 
them your assistance ? Xo sooner had I in- 
formed Pharaoh of your orders than this im- 
pious prince, instead of obeying you, added 



A SERPEXT. 39 

% 

cruelty to cruelty/' The Lord tempered the 
grief of Moses by this answer : "I choose you 
to be the minister of my vengeance ; I have 
heard the lamentations of the children of Israel. 
Go amongst them and say : Here is what the 
Lord of our fathers has said : I am the Lord ; I 
shall deliver you from captivity ; I shall sever 
the chains which bind you. You shall be my 
people, and I am your God. Remember, that 
I shall remove the obstacles which retain you 
in bondage. I shall lead you into the promised 
land. Those things shall come to pass, for I 
am the Lord." What a consoling answer ! How 
good is God to speak thus to His servants. 
Moses was fortified by those solacing words ; 
he repeated them faithfully to his people, but 
they remained insensible towards him, so 
plunged were they in the depths of bitterness 
by the arduous labor that overwhelmed them. 
The Lord said again to Moses, " Go, present 
yourself to Pharaoh, and tell him to let the 
children of Israel depart from his kingdom." 
w Ah ! Lord," answered Moses, " the children of 
Israel, my brethren, do not deign to hear me. 
When I shall speak to them through you, how 
can I make myself heard by an impious king, I 
who have not the gift of speech ?" " Go," said 
the Lord to him, "now I establish you the 



40 



CHILDREN OF THE PATKOlRCHS. 



god of Pharaoh, and your brother shall be 
your prophet and your organ. It is true that 
Pharaoh will only obey in spite of himself, but 
I shall abandon him. if he refuse to acknow- 
ledge me. and if his heart harden. I shall ex- 
tend my hand to my people, and I shall liberate 
them as a victorious army, and by the most 
brilliant wonders of my Almighty. The Egyp- 
tians know that I am the Lord, who will chas- 
tise them, and who will free the children of 
Israel, despite them.*' Moses and Aaron has- 
tened to execute the orders of God. They pre- 
sented themselves before the king, and they re- 
newed their demand. Pharaoh desired them 
to operate miracles. Then, in presence of the 
king and his court. Aaron cast the rod of Moses, 
and it changed into a serpent : but Pharaoh 
was not satisfied with this miracle, and he 
called his magicians and his enchanters, the 
chiefs of whom were Jarmes and Mambres : the 
latter by the power of the demon, or rather by 
their enchantments, imitated the miracle of the 
servants of God. but their triumph was not of 
long duration ; for the serpent formed by the 
rod of Aaron devoured those of the magicians. 
On seeing this, the king became more hardened, 
and the God of Israel was neither recognized 
nor obeyed. (Exod. v.. vi., vii.) 



BLOOD, FROGS, GX ATS, AXD FLIES. 41 



Let us here admire the goodness of God, His 
patience and His justice ; and let us deplore 
the hard-heartedness and the impiety of this 
prince, who dared to deny the Master of the 
elements, and to disobey His orders by his ob- 
duracy. Soon we shall see him cause his own 
ruin. Such is the end of all obdurate sinners. 

III. 

BLOOD, FROGS, GXATS, AXD FLIES. 

God, in His infinite goodness, endeavored to 
convert the unbelieving prince by operating 
miracles ; but terrible plagues and dreadful 
chastisement were henceforward and succes- 
sively to take place, and they were to be pro- 
portionate to the obduracy of the prince and his 
subjects. These were the ten plagues of Egypt 
Abiding by the order of God, Moses and Aaron 
went early in the morning on the banks of the 
river, where Pharaoh was in the habit of walk- 
ing ; they asked him to allow the j^eople to go 
forth into the desert to offer sacrifices to God, 
but he again refused to do so. Then Aaron, in 
the presence of the king and his courtiers, 
struck: the waters of the river, and immediately 
they changed into blood. The waters became 
corrupted, and the fish perished therein. The 



42 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



Egyptians could no longer drink of those waters? 
and they were reduced to the necessity of dig- 
ging wells from distance to distance, so as to 
obtain water fit for use. This first plague 
lasted seven days. 

A river of blood ! What a marvel! But the 
king and his subjects still remained in their ob- 
duracy, and they were not converted. Thus do 
the wicked refuse to acknowledge the salutary 
terrors which God manifests to warn them of 
their danger. Pharaoh refused then to let 
them go forth into the desert, and Moses told 
him that he was about inflicting a new plague, 
but his threat was in vain, and, according to 
his order, Aaron stretched his hand over the 
marshes, the rivers, and the streams, and all 
Egypt was instantly covered with frogs ; they 
spread into the palace of the king, in his apart- 
ment, and even in his bed. The dwellings of 
his servants and those of his subjects were in- 
fested thereof ; they swarmed in the kitchens, 
on the tables, and the very meals were be- 
gnawed by them; but they seemed to know 
the dwellings of the Hebrews ; they respected 
them, and they entered not therein. In the 
midst of such a calamity, Pharaoh called Moses 
and his brother, and begged of them to deliver 
him from this enormous quantity of frogs, and 



BLOOD, FROGS, GXATS, AXD FLIES. 43 



that he would then give them their liberty. " I 
shall do as you say," answered Moses, " in order 
that you acknowledge that our God is the true 
God." Moses prayed, his prayers were heard, 
and those troublesome reptiles instantly ceased 
to exist. The Egyptians made such heaps of 
them that the corruption therefrom caused dur- 
ing several days a most noxious smell. Those 
frogs represent persons who afflict the Church 
by their disputes and their discussions. 

Moses had too readily relied upon the pro- 
mise of Pharaoh; for scarcely had the latter 
been delivered from one plague, when this 
wicked prince hardened his heart again. Ano- 
ther punishment was therefore in store for him. 
By the order of the Lord, Aaron, armed with 
the rod of Moses, struck the dust of the ground, 
and instantly Egypt was covered with such a 
thick cloud of gnats, that it seemed as though 
all the sand in the kingdom had been changed 
into a frightful multitude of those insects. They 
tormented both men and beasts, and it was im- 
possible to banish them. Until then, Pharaoh's 
magicians had operated the same wonders by 
their enchantment ; withal, they could not, like 
Moses, destroy them. On witnessing this third 
plague, they found themselves completely impo- 
tent, and astonished at the power wherewith 



44 CHILDREN OF TH'E PATEIARCHS. 



those two great men were invested, they 
avowed themselves vanquished, and they said 
to Pharaoh, " The finger of God is here." 
Gnats ! — such is the stumbling-block of their 
power. God permitted this incapacity of the 
magicians, in order that Pharaoh should have 
no pretext of unbelief. But this unfaithful 
prince would not listen to his magicians when 
they said to him, Assuredly the finger of God is 
here. And he would *not consent to the de- 
parture of the Israelites. 

God in His mercy forewarned Pharaoh of a 
fourth plague, which would be still more ter- 
rible than the others. Moses spoke to the 
king, but he was deaf to his words. Then, in- 
numerable swarms of flies of different species 
spread all over Egypt ; after a short while, the 
whole country was covered with them. Pha- 
raoh in his palace, the great men of the court 
in their superb dwellings, the citizens, and the 
people in the country, were all equally tor 
mented, and often mortally stung by them. 
Every thing was destroyed and corrupted by 
their dangerous bites, and the land, far and 
wide, swarmed with them. To make Pha- 
raoh fully aware that the hand of God was 
upon him, he was informed how the land of 
Gessen was exempt from all these plagues, but 
he would not give in to such striking evidences. 



BLOOD, FROGS, GNATS, AND FLIES. 45 

However, the calamity was so great, that the 
king had again recourse to the ordinary remedy, 
and he called for Moses and Aaron ; and when 
they were both in his presence : " Go, said he, 
and sacrifice to your God! but why leave my 
states ?" " Prince," said they, " the animals 
which are your gods are to be our victims. If 
your subjects see us spill the blood of these pre- 
tended divinities they will stone us to death." 
" Well then, be it so," replied Pharaoh ; " go 
sacrifice in the desert ; but above all, pray for 
me, so that God deliver me from those cruel 
insects." "Prince," responded Moses, on leav- 
ing the palace, " I shall implore the Lord, and* 
the plague will disappear ; but do you keep your 
promise, and let us accomplish the commands 
of our God." And Moses prayed, and instantly 
all the flies vanished. But, strange blindness ! 
when Pharaoh was delivered of this plague, he 
refused to fulfil his promise. (Exod. vii., viii.) 

In the midst of these terrible chastisements, 
we ever behold the goodness of God. It would 
have been easy for God to immediately have 
sent lions to exterminate this obstinate prince ; 
but no, He had pity on the weakness of men ; 
His first chastisements are slight, but at length 
they become terrible in His wrath. 



46 CHILDREN" OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



IV. 

THE MURRAIN, THE ULCERS, AND 
THE HAIL. 

By the four first plagues, God had only, as it 
were, manifested His anger. Until then, but a 
few drops of the cup of afHiction had been 
spilled ! 

By. order of God, Moses again presented 
himself before Pharaoh, and he warned him of 
the dreadful calamity which was to overwhelm 
his subjects if he persisted in refusing the Is- 
raelites to depart. Pharaoh would not hear 
him, and full soon were the menaces of Moses 
realized. An epidemy spread all over Egypt : 
horses, mules, camels, oxen, and sheep alike 
perished. The Israelites did not lose a single 
beast. Pharaoh took information of this fact, 
and learned its veracity ; yet he persisted in his 
disobedience, and he refused to let the people 
of God depart out of Egypt. Is it possible, 
that after such prodigious miracles, Pharaoh's 
heart should yet be unmoved? But no, his 
obduracy continued to increase. 

Another plague soon followed, and Moses 
and Aaron, by the order of God, endeavored 
to overcome Pharaoh ; but it was of no avail. 
Then Moses took ashes, and sprinkled it to- 



THE MURRAIN, THE TTLCEKS, AND HAIL. 47 



wards heaven, and, immediately, men and ani- 
mals, throughout the kingdom, were afflicted 
with ulcers, which covered their bodies. The 
magicians, who were always present at the in- 
terviews of the servants of God with Pharaoh, 
were so cruelly inflicted with this distemper, 
that they were full of confusion and trouble. 
At length, Pharaoh merited by his wickedness 
the terrible vengeance of the sovereign Judge. 
But before this last punishment, whereby he 
should perish, God prepared others for him, 
the abuse of which made him unpardonable. 
Moses was grieved at his obduracy, and he 
tried once more to soften his heart. He rose 
early in the morning and begged of him. in the 
name of the Almighty, to let the Israelites go 
into the desert, and he told him that if he did 
not obey, the most dreadful afflictions would 
fall upon him and his people. These entreaties 
were' not heard. Then 3ioses raised his hand 
to heaven, and immediately, the firmament was 
covered with dense clouds ; the lightning flashed, 
the thunder rolled, and a most dreadful han 
fell causing so much destruction, that, since the 
beginning of the monarchy, Egypt had never 
witnessed such a scene. 3Ien and beasts alike 
perished; every thing was destroyed, herbs 
and plants were crushed to the ground, the 



48 



CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



trees were rent asunder ; and whilst all this 
took place, the land of Gessen remained tran- 
quil, and seemed sheltered from this terrible 
plague. After such a severe chastisement, one 
would hope to see Pharaoh converted. True, 
lie demanded the presence of Moses and Aaron. 
" I have sinned," said he. " the Lord is just : my 
people and I are impious. Pray then, to the 
Lord to stay the storm, the thunder, and the 
lightning, and the hail ; then depart, for I shall 
no longer retain you.' 1 " Well, then," answered 
Moses, " when I shall have left the city. I shall 
raise my hand toward heaven ; I shall invoke 
the Lord, and the hail shall cease, and the 
thunder will no longer be heard : thereby you 
will acknowledge that our God is the master of 
earth."' 

Moses left Pharaoh and the city, and every 
thing came to pass as he had predicted, but the 
king's heart was hardened again. Seeing the 
storm quelled, he would not allow the children 
of Israel to depart, as God had ordained it, and 
as Pharaoh had promised them, (Exod. ix.) 

This is a figure of those hardened sinners who 
promise repentance when God shows His wrath, 
but who persist meanwhile in their impeni- 
tence. 



THE LOCUSTS AND THE DAEKXESS. 49 



V. 

THE LOCUSTS AND THE DARKNESS. 

"The chastisements which I inflict in my 
mercy," said the Lord to Moses, " increase the 
hard-heartedness of Pharaoh and that of his 
counsellors ; if they do not profit by it, it is 
their fault ; but, at least, they will be a means 
of enlightening you and your children ; you will 
relate to them all the wonderful things I have 
wrought against your enemies, the Egyptians, 
and you will say that I am the Lord. Continue 
to sj>eak to Pharaoh on my part." Moses ac- 
companied his brother to the palace, and spoke 
to the king in a firm and resolute tone, and, 
threatening him with terrible afflictions, he 
abruptly left him, with an air of indignation 
which surprised the guilty king and his cour- 
tiers. " Prince," said the latter to him. " how 
long shall we suffer by these dreadful calami- 
ties ? Let those people depart ; let them im- 
molate to their God. Delay will cause the 
ruin of our country." Then the king recalled 
Moses and Aaron, and said to them : " Well, 
I shall permit you to depart, but name me 
those who should go thither ?" " All," answered 
Moses; u men, women, and children, maidens 



50 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



and aged persons! "We shall also take our 
flocks and our herds with us, for it is to be the 
great solemnity of the Lord our God." " This is 
what you have concealed so artfully, under pre- 
text of offering victims to your God. But it 
shall not be! Let the men go celebrate this 
festival, if they wish, and hope for no more." 
Thus spake the prince, and the servants of God 
were ignominiously driven &om the presence 
of Pharaoh. 

Moses stretched his hand over the land, and 
during a day and a night there blew, by order 
of the Lord, a dry and burning wind, which 
brought forth an immense cloud of locusts. 
They fastened themselves to the trees and to 
the grain; they devoured the grass of the 
fields, the fruit and the leaves, in a short space 
of time; the finest season of the year was 
changed into a gloomy winter. Pharaoh was 
again discouraged, and he besought the return 
of Moses and Aaron. On beholding them, he 
assumed an air of consternation. "I have 
sinned against the Lord and against you," said 
he, " but pardon me this fault, and pray the 
God of Israel to deliver me from this horri- 
ble plague!" Moses went forth and prayed, 
and immediately a westerly wind arose and 
swept away all the locusts into the Red Sea. 



TEJrj: LOCUSTS AND THE DARKNESS. 51 



But neither pardon nor chastisement changed 
the heart of this tyrant. How great, O God, 
is your goodness, your patience, and your 
mercy ! You forewarn the sinner, and whilst 
you punish him you wish his good. 

The continued obduracy of Pharaoh drew 
forth upon him another plague. It was not as 
destructive as the others, but it was more terri- 
ble. By the order of God, Moses raised his 
hand towards heaven, and suddenly all Egypt 
was covered with an extraordinary darkness 
which spread fear and awe amongst the people. 
The sunshine could not penetrate this darkness, 
much less any artificial light ; but from time to 
time it was lit up with a momentary fire that 
presented to the eye the most hideous spectres, 
the most frightful forms, lugubrious groans and 
horrible hissings struck the ear, and one might 
have dreaded, at every moment, to be de- 
voured by the wild beasts of Egypt. During 
this calamity the Israelites enjoyed, both light 
and tranquillity. 

This ninth plague lasted three entire days, 
and the prince made no effort to humble him- 
self. However, he demanded the presence of 
Moses and Aaron and said to them : " Go then 
into the desert, but let your flocks and herds, 
your women and your children remain here." 



52 CHILDREN OF THE PATEIARCHS. 



" No, prince," replied Moses, " we must leave 
Egypt with the victims necessary for our sacri- 
fices ; naught shall remain, not even the hoof of 
the smallest of our lambs. On hearing these 
words, Pharaoh became furious, and he revoked 
the permission he had given. " Retire from my 
presence," said he to Moses, " and never again 
appear before me. If you have the audacity to 
re-enter my palace, I shall have you at once put 
to death." " No," said Moses, "we shall not 
return without express orders, and I shall not de- 
part before I warn you of afflictions greater still 
than ail the rest, if you do not prevent it by a 
prompt obedience." And the minister of God 
told him, how dreadful should be the tenth 
plague. Then he withdrew, full of just indig- 
nation. Pharaoh persisted in his disobedience, 
and the Israelites did not depart. (Exod. x., xL) 
What a strange and dreadful obduracy in 
this prince ! This darkness which seemed to 
harden the heart of Pharaoh and his subjects 
figures the obduracy of the wicked, which at 
length leads them to eternal darkness, where 
disorder and desolation reign forever ; on the 
other hand, a pure and gentle light from heaven 
will infallibly lead the good to the regions of 
bliss, like the Israelites. 



THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB. 



53 



VI. 

THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB, 

God came again to the assistance of His ser- 
vant. The plague with which you have 
threatened Pharaoh,'' said He to him, "is near 
at hand ; and after its accomplishment, I shall 
deliver my people from Egypt. Tell them to 
dispose themselves accordingly ; and let men, 
women, and children go into the neighborhood 
of Ramesses, in the present month, and let 
them take thither their flocks and their herds. 
Before leaving their dwellings, they shall ask 
the Egyptians, their neighbors, for gold and 
silver vases, and precious ornaments, to be used 
at the ceremony of immolation. They will 
readily give them. You will tell the Israelites 
that I give them those ornaments in payment 
for their long and hard labor. Tell them that 
this month, marked for their departure from 
Egypt, shall henceforth be, for thein, the first 
of the year ;* and that on the tenth day of this 
month, each of the elders or the fathers of the 

* This month, called Nisan, might correspond with the 
latter half of our month of March, and with the first of 
that of April. It was. for the Jews, the first month of 
the ecclesiastical year ; their civil year began in autumn. 
5* 



54 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIAE CHS. 



families shall put aside a male lamb without 
blemish ; in default of a lamb, they shall take a 
kid. If the family assembled be not large 
enough to consume the iamb at one meal, they 
shall associate with them some of their neigh- 
bors. The lamb, put aside on the tenth of the 
month, shall be kept until the fourteenth, and 
on the night of this day, the head of the family 
shall immolate to God. My will is, that all the 
children of Israel participate in this ceremony. 
They shall keep some of the blood of the vic- 
tim, and dip therein some branches of hyssop, 
and they shall sprinkle the tops of their door- 
posts with this blood. The lamb shall be 
roasted whole, — the body, the head, even the 
entrails. At this repast they shall use un- 
leavened bread. With the flesh of the lamb 
they shall eat wild and bitter lettuce. It shall 
all be consumed in the same family, and if any 
remain, it shall be reduced to ashes with the 
bones. Here now. are the necessary disposi- 
tions to partake of this repast : my people shall 
be dressed as travellers, with their loins girded 
and shoes on their feet, and their staff in their 
hand. They shall eat standing and in haste, 
for it is the Pasch, that is to say, the passage 
of the Lord. I have chosen the night to pass 
through Egypt and to strike with death the 



THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB. 



55 



first-born of the Egyptians, men as well as 
animals. This is the moment I have chosen for 
my vengeance against all the divinities of 
Egypt; for I am the Lord and the God of all 
nations. Those alone shall be saved vrhose 
doors will be sprinkled with the blood of the 
lamb. 

" This day shall be as an eternal memorial of 
my power and mercy, and in remembrance of 
which you shall establish a solemnity, which 
from generation to generation shall pass to your 
last descendants. During seven days, you shall 
eat of unleavened bread, and whosoever 
amongst ve be guilty of eating anv other shall 
be exterminated in your midst. The first and the 
last of these days shall be solemn, and no ser- 
vile work shall be performed ; during the five 
other days they can perform their usual occu- 
pations." 

Moses and Aaron reassembled the people of 
Israel and informed them of the commands of 
the Almighty, entering into the minutest de- 
. tails, in order that nothing should be forgotten 
regarding the different circumstances pointed 
out to them. 

" In conclusion, it is not," added they, " a 
transient ceremony as one of a day, for it must 
be renewed every year, and be perpetuated from 



56 CHILDREN OP THE PATBIAECHS. 



generation to generation. Ton shall celebrate 
this festival when yon are in possession of that 
beautiful land which has been promised to our 
fathers. And when your children will ask the 
signification of this religious practice, answer 
them that it is the Paseh, or the victim of the 
Lord ; when at the time of our captivity, God 
smote the first-born of the Egyptians, whilst he 
spared the Israelites." After hearing those 
commands, the children of Israel bowed their 
heads, they prostrated themselves, and they 
adored the Lord. (Exod. xii.) 

The Christians also celebrate the passage of 
the Lord ; but no longer, it is true, by the 
eating of a carnal lamb. This passage of 
goodness, of clemency, and of grace is cele- 
brated by the reception of the true Paschal 
Lamb— Jesus Christ. 

til 

eighth figure. 

The sacrifice of the paschal lamb offers us a 
striking figure of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. 
And indeed, this paschal lamb should be 
spotless. Jesus Christ is the true lamb without 
spot ; He is the essence of purity and holiness. 
The bones of the paschal lamb were not to be 



EIGHTH FIGURE. 



57 



broken. Our Saviour died upon a cross and 
none of His bones were broken. The paschal 
lamb should be eaten in the same house, with 
unleavened bread and bitter lettuce. TTe eat 
the flesh of Jesus Christ, the true Paschal Lamb, 
in the same House — the Catholic Church. We 
eat it with the unleavened bread of purity, 
charity, and with the bitter lettuce — mortifica- 
tion and penitence. 

To eat the paschal lamb their loins should 
be bound, they should have a staff in hand, and 
shoes on, in order to be in readiness to journey 
to the promised land. To receive our Lord, 
we must be pure and chaste ; vre must have no 
hold on the world, figured, by Egypt ; we must 
yearn for the possession of our heavenly home. 
The houses marked with the blood of the 
lamb, were not doomed by the angel of 
the Lord. The souls marked with the blood 
of Jesus Christ received worthily, shall not be 
punished by the sovereign Judge on the day 
of vengeance. 

No stranger could share the eating of 
the paschal lamb unless he were circumcised. 
No one can partake of the body and blood of 
Jesus Christ if he be not regenerated by the 
water of baptism. 

Let us often receive in communion, the true 




58 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 

spotless Lamb that delivers us from the slavery 
of sin, and from everlasting death. Let us re- 
ceive Him with love, with humility, and with 
hope, like travellers who despise this earth 
of sin, but who long for the promised land, 
where happiness reigns forever. 

VIII. 

A UNIVERSAL CRY. 

The captivity of the Israelites had lasted for 
215 years from the arrival of Jacob in Egypt, 
and 433 years since the vocation of Abraham, 
or since the first alliance made with this holy 
patriarch until the second under the ministry 
of Moses on Mount Sinai. The term then of 
slavery had been completed, and God accom- 
plished His promise accordingly. The children 
of Israel were now about putting into execu- 
tion the precept that Moses had given them on 
the part of God. It was in the middle of the 
night, when all was calm and silent, that the 
Sovereign Master of the lives of men, sent His 
angels to accomplish the sentence pronounced 
against Egypt. And at that moment the holy 
spirits smote the first-born of the Egyptians, 
from Pharaoh's son and heir to the first-born 



A TJXIYEESAL CEY. 



59 



of the last of his slaves condemned to hard 
labor, or to the rigors of prison. Xor were 
the "first-born of animals spared ! but the min- 
isters of the vengeance of the Almighty 
respected the houses whose doors had been 
marked with the blood of the lamb. 

Such was the accomplishment of the dreadful 
decree of the Lord against the Egyptians, and 
not one was excepted therefrom. In every 
family there was a corpse, and that corpse was 
the first-born, the support, the hope of the 
family. What a tumultuous confusion of men 
and women in despair ! A universal cry was 
heard throughout Egypt. Pharaoh, filled with 
fear and woe, arose at midnight with his cour- 
tiers, and in spite of the darkness, he sent for 
Moses and Aaron, and they immediately came, 
and the prince without menacing as before, 
said : " Depart in haste, you and the children of 
Israel, and sacrifice to your God as you think 
proper ; take thither your cattle and your 
sheep ; I shall grant you all that you have hither- 
to besought of me ; but before you depart, bless 
me, and obtain for me the blessing of God." 
And the people, overwhelmed with the afflictions 
which this wicked prince had drawn down upon 
them by his inflexibility, eagerly besought the 
speedy departure of the children of God ; " for," 



60 CHILDEEST OF THE PATRIAECHS. 

said they, " if they remain here any longer, we 
shall all perish.' 9 (Exod. xii.) 

Thus does God triumph ove.r the wicked ; thus 
does He loosen the chains of the oppressed. 
And Pharaoh and his counsellors had to yield to 
the power of the Almighty, and they could not 
resist the last and most terrible plague which 
had been inflicted upon them in God's just 
wroth. 

Why did they disobey at first, when the 
miracles wrought against them were slight? 
Your punishments and your rewards are ad- 
mirable, O Lord, because you are ever good 
and just ! 



DEPLORABLE RESULT OF STRANGE 
OBDURACY, 

I. 

THREE MILLIONS OF CAPTIVES SET 

AT LIBERTY. 

On leaving the king, Moses repaired to 
Ramesses ; it was at an early hour, and he in- 
stantly gave orders for a speedy departure. 
The eagerness of the Egyptians, who believed 
themselves ®n the eve of death, was such that 



CAPTIVES SET AT LIBERTY. 



61 



moments seemed years to them, and they were 
not satisfied till they were certain that the 
Israelites had passed the frontiers. 

Meanwhile, the latter hastened to make 
preparations, and they demanded of the Egyp- 
tians their gold and silver vases, their sump- 
tuous apparel, and their costly jewels, pursuant 
to the order that the Sovereign Distributor had 
given them, so that they should be paid for their 
hard work, and compensated for the houses 
and land they were leaving behind. This de- 
parture was so precipitate, that if Moses had 
not cautioned them of it beforehand, they 
would not have been able to take those urgent 
measures, but they had had time to prepare 
themselves for it. 

Time was also of great moment to Moses, 
for he had to organize the march of a whole 
nation, numbering six hundred thousand men, 
without reckoning women and children, and 
including the latter with the aged people, and 
a quantity of slaves and of Egyptians who had 
been converted by the miracles of the Most 
High, and had joined the children of Israel and 
had submitted to their laws. Altogether, there 
was a multitude of three million persons. In- 
numerable herds of cattle and sheep driven by 

herdsmen followed, as also, vans and beasts of 
6 



62 



CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



burden charged with provisions and spoils that 
the terror-stricken Egyptians bad left in their 
hands. With this large number of equipages 
they departed from the land of their captivity. 
Moses had been in such haste to organize the 
march of his people, that they Trent forth with 
their bread half kneaded, and without being 
raised. They had to tie it up in bags, and 
carry it on their shoulders, and at their first 
encampment they made unleavened bread of it. 
The alarmed Egyptians had not allowed them 
time to make any other provisions for the 
first days of their long campaign. 

The Hebrew people left then the land of their 
captivity. They were divided by tribes and by 
families, and they went forth under the protec- 
tion of God and the guidance of Moses. O, won- 
der ! there was not one sick person amongst them ! 

Moses, with a watchful eye to all things, had 
the mortal remains of J oseph placed on a chariot 
to carry them back to the tomb of his fathers, 
according to the last words of the holy patri- 
arch. " God will visit you," he had said, " and 
do not forget to carry my remains among you." 

On they marched in good order, with the 
joy that hope gives to travellers, who journey 
towards their own country. 

But little did they know how long their pil 



THE PILLAE OF FIEE. 



03 



griniage should last before they entered the 
land of Canaan. (Exod. xii.) 

The Egyptians who kept the Israelites in 
bondage, figure sin that keeps us in the slavery 
of the devil, and that makes us worthy of the 
pains of hell. The departure from Egypt repre- 
sents the liberty that Jesus Christ has obtained 
for us. 

II. 

THE PILLAR OF FIRE. 

The Hebrews had left Harnesses, and under 
the guidance of Closes, they marched on in 
good order towards the east of this city, and in 
the direction of Socoth, avoiding thereby to 
pass by the land of the Philistines, which was 
situated at the north of Egypt. From the be- 
ginning of their march, God gave to His people 
new proofs of His protection. He formed a 
pillar, the basis of which was very wide, and 
the summit thereof reaching the clouds. It 
was composed of thick and condensed vapors. 
During the day, this pillar had the colors of a 
beautiful cloud, and at night it became as a 
bright fire, and it was as luminous as the sun. 
One of the heavenly -spirits, and minister of the 
Lord, was charged with the direction of this 
cloud, which was destined to serve as a guide 



64 CHILDREN OF THE PATEIAECHS. 



to the Hebrews, to screen them from the heat 
of the sun, and to light them at night. When 
they were to continue their march, the pillar 
would rise from amidst the camp and would 
place itself on the pavilion of those who were 
heading the tribes, or it stopped, according as 
they were to march or encamp. 

These miracles lasted as long as they wan- 
dered in the wilderness, and, night and day, 
they reminded them of the protection of God. 

O, admirable goodness of Divine Providence ! 
O, God ! infinitely good towards his children ! 
And yet this people offended their benefactor ! 
They complained, they murmured, they were 
guilty of idolatry, of insubordination. 

The pillar stopped at Socoth, and the Israel- 
ites halted for some time. Moses spoke to 
them again of the orders of God ; he recalled 
to their minds the law commanding the celebra- 
tion of the Pasch or Easter, every year in that 
same month, in remembrance of their miracu- 
lous deliverance, and by offering a lamb, the 
night of the fourteenth day. 

" When the Lord will have brought yon into 
the land promised to our fathers," added Moses, 
" you will all consecrate to him the first-born, 
men as well as animals. The men shall be re- 
deemed, and the animals shall be immolated 



TWO ARMIES. 65 

Your children will ask you the reason of this 
law, saying, ' What is the meaning of this re- 
ligious ceremony?' and you will answer : 'The 
Lord our God has delivered us from bondage, 
and He has withdrawn us from the land of 
Egypt, by the sole strength of His will. When 
the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, that he 
resisted the orders of the Almighty, God struck 
with death the first-born of the Egyptians, 
sparing those of His people. It is in remem- 
brance of this event that we shall offer up to the 
Lord the first-born of animals, and that we 
shall redeem the first-born of our children," 
(Exod. xii., xiii.) 

The Jews were commanded to immolate 
their first-born, as we are recommended to con. 
secrate to him our youth, our first thoughts, 
our first desires. Let us not wait till the de- 
cline of life to offer ourselves to God. How do 
we know that He will accept the fruits of a 
feeble and deferred repentance ? 

III. 

TWO ARMIES IN PRESENCE OF EACH 
OTHER. 

From Socoth they advanced, keeping always 
in view the miraculous pillar, to Etham, and on 
6* 



66 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



the third day since they journeyed from Egypt, 
they reached the borders of the Red Sea. 

The Egyptians, meanwhile, had buried the 
yictims of the vengeance of the Most High; 
fckey were weighed down with grief. Pharaoh, 
on the other hand, was full of indignation 
when he heard that the Israelites had not only 
taken away their own spoils, but also those of 
the Egyptians ; he believed himself trifled with, 
and he resolved to make one last effort to re- 
new the captivity of the Hebrews. " What 
have we done ?" exclaimed he ; " we should 
not have set at liberty a people so useful to us. 
But we have still time to pursue them." And 
by his order, two hundred thousand men were 
set on foot, fifty thousand horses were equipped, 
six hundred wagons charged with arms, the 
state chariot of the king was in readiness, the 
generals w^ere heading their troops, and Pha- 
raoh commanded the army. 

But the Israelites had gone forth under the 
protection of the Almighty, and as the Egyp- 
tians did not exactly know the direction they 
kad taken, they speedily followed their foot- 
steps. In the evening of the third day they 
came in sight of the Hebrews, who were as- 
sembled at a short distance from the Red Sea. 
It was late, and as the Egyptians saw them 



TWO ARMIES. 67 

hemmed in between their army and the sea, 

they thought it fit to defer the attack until the 
next day. At the sight of this formidable 
army, the Hebrews believed themselves irrevo- 
cably lost ; fear took full possession of their 
souls, and they uttered loud cries to Heaven ; 
and Moses, their leader, the chosen man of 
God, had to suffer the most bitter reproaches 
from them ; they assembled tumultuously around 
him, and they said : " Likely there were not 
enough graves for us in Egypt, since you have 
led us here to be buried in the burning sands 
of this desert. Wherefore have you dealt thus 
with us ? Did we not say to you : Let us alone 
that we may serve our masters ? It had been 
better for us had w^e obeyed the Egyptians 
than die in the wilderness by the sword of our 
enemies." Moses was not discouraged, and 
he excused his people in consideration of their 
mortal anxiety : " Fear not," said he to them, 
" have courage and submit yourselves to the 
will of God ; this day you will behold the 
wonderful things which God will operate in 
your favor. You now see for the last time all 
those Egyptians who are armed against us, 
for to-morrow they shall have all perished ! 
The Lord is with us, do not anger Him ; remain 
in peace under His protection." (Exod. xiv.) 



J 



68 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 

The language of the Hebrews to Moses, was 
a proof of their ingratitude to the Lord, and 
of their insubordination to Moses, His minister ; 
but the latter had to bear with all these trials, 
which were merely to serve as a prelude to 
others far more afflicting. 

IV. 

THE DESTRUCTION OF A WHOLE 
ARMY. 

Moses knelt before the throne of mercy to 
implore forgiveness for such wicked murmurs. 
His prayers were heard, and moreover, the 
Lord told him the means whereby he should 
deliver his people from their enemies. 

He therefore immediately sought the children 
of Israel, and he commanded them to be ready 
to continue their march. Then the angel of 
the Lord, who directed the pillar, placed it in 
the rear of the camp between the two armies, 
so that its luminous side lighted the way of 
the Israelites, whilst it appeared as a dark 
cloud to the Egyptians, and it concealed from 
them the movements of the Israelites. Here- 
upon, Moses, in the name of Him who created 
heaven, the earth, and the waters, stretched 
out his hand over the sea, the waters were 



DESTRUCTION OF A WHOLE AEMY» 69 



divided, amd a dry path was made for the 
Israelites, for there rose a burning wind that 
dried up and hardened the bottom of the deep, 
and made it firm under the feet of his people. 

The Israelites entered this miraculous route, 
whereon no foot had ever before trod ; and 
whilst the waters remained suspended like high 
walls on both sides, they passer], from evening 
till three o'clock in the morning, safely to the 
opposite shore. It was scarcely dawn of day 
when the Egyptians perceived the Hebrews 
escaping. They followed them speedily. The 
entire army, — men, horses, chariots, and the 
king took the same route. 

Meanwhile, the Israelites had landed safely, 
under the guidance of the pillar that also served 
the Egyptians as a point of attraction, for they 
were resolved to overtake their enemy. But 
this was the moment of God's vengeance ! All 
of a sudden the pillar opened, and they saw the 
angel of the Lord threatening them with God's 
wrath. The thunder rolled through the firma- 
ment, and a hail of burning hot stones killed 
the horses, destroyed the chariots, and spread 
confusion and terror in the army ; the shouts 
and the clamor of men in despair rent the air, 
and they cried, " Let us fly from the Hebrews, 
let us cease to pursue them ; their God is 



70 CHILDREN OP THE PATRIARCHS. 



against us ; He fights for them." It was too 
late ; and as they began to retrace their steps, 
the Lord said to Moses, " Stretch out your 
hand over the sea." The waters were instantly 
united, and they were all swallowed up, without 
one soul being able to escape. Thus was Is- 
rael delivered by a miracle of the Almighty 
from the persecutions of the Egyptians. By 
the will of the Most High, the waves washed 
the dead bodies and the war-stores ashore, and 
with thanks to God for those rich spoils, Moses 
distributed, them to the different tribes and 
families. 

This event strengthened the faith of the 
Hebrews, and the authority of Moses was once 
more firmly established. (ExocL xiv.) 

With admiration do we contemplate the 
Jews saved from the depths of the sea, and we 
heed not the salvation of a soul in this present 
age. On the one hand, it is only Pharaoh van- 
quished ; on the other, it is the devil. How 
glorious it was for the Almighty to hear Pha- 
raoh exclaim : " Let us fly from the children of 
Israel; their God fights for them;" but how 
much more glorious it is for Him to hear the 
devil say : " Let us abandon this soul, for God 
is with it." 



A SUBLIME CANTICLE. 



71 



V. 

A SUBLIME CANTICLE. 

When the Israelites were delivered from the 
Egyptians, they were penetrated with gratitude 
towards the Almighty; and Moses, availing 
himself of their happy dispositions,. bade them 
sing to the Lord a sublime hymn of thanks- 
giving. 

" Let us sing to Jehovah a canticle of praise, 
because He has manifested His power and His 
glory by precipitating into the sea the horse 
and the horseman. The Lord is my strength, 
and the object of my praise : for He is my sal- 
vation. He is my God, and I shall glorify 
Him ; He is the God of my fathers, and I shall 
publish His miracles. The Lord has combated 
for me, His name is Almighty. He has buried 
in the sea, Pharaoh, his chariots, his generals, 
and all his army ; the waters have swallowed 
them up ; they have dropped as a stone to the 
bottom of the sea. O Lord, you have mani- 
fested your power, and your strength has anni- 
hilated the enemy. By the grandeur of your 
majesty you exterminate your adversaries ; you 
show them your anger, and they are dispersed 
as straws. At your bidding, O God Almighty, 



12 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 

the menacing waves have suspended their 
coarse, and they hare risen like two ramparts 
in the midst of the dryness of the sea. The 
enemy said, ' I shall pursue the children of 
Israel ; I shall overtake them, and make them 
my prisoners : I shall divide their spoils, and 
I shall satisfy my anger. I will draw my 
sword, and I shall exterminate them.' But 
you, O Lord, have breathed upon the waters, 
and they have fallen like lead to the bottom of 
the foaming waters. What God can be com- 
pared to you, O Jehovah 1 You alone are 
great and holy — terrible in your vengeance; 
you alone are worthy of praise in the wonder- 
ful things you have wrought. You stretch 
forth your hand, and the sea swallows up the 
Egyptians. In your mercy, you became the 
protector of the people whom you have re- 
deemed ; and by your strength you have con- 
ducted them to their blissful home.* Nations 
rose up and were angry; sorrows took hold on 
the inhabitants of Philisthiim. Then were the 
princes of Edom troubled ; trembling seized on 
the stout men of Moab ; all the inhabitants of 
Canaan became stiff. Strike them, O Lord, with 
consternation, make them immovable as the 

* Here Moses speaks prophetically of the future, and 
as though it had already come to pass. 



A SUBLIME CAXTICLE. 



73 



rocks, whilst your chosen band pass out of 
their hands. Thou shalt bring them in and 
plant them in the mountain of thy inheritance, 
in thy most pious habitation which thou hast 
made, O Lord ; thy sanctuary, O Lord, which 
thy hands have established. The Lord shall 
reign foreyer and ever. The presumptuous 
Pharaoh, followed by his chariots and his 
cavalry, rode into the midst of the suspended 
waves ; and, at the word of the Lord, they 
were buried therein, but Israel was saved from 
the waters of the sea." (Exod. xv.) 

This canticle was sung by two great choirs ; 
Moses and Aaron being at the head of that 
of the men ; Mary, their sister, directed that 
of the women, and they bore timbrels in their 
hands. 

The chorus was : " Let us sing a canticle of 
praise to Jehovah, because He has manifested 
His power and His glory by burying in the 
sea the horse and the horseman. 1 ' They sang all 
day to the glory of the great Liberator of Is- 
rael. The day on which the army was de- 
stroyed, was the seventh of Easter, and it was 
commanded to be celebrated as the first, on 
which died all the first-born of the Egyptians. 

What admirable sentiments in this canticle 
of Moses ! Let us also acknowledge the power, 
7 



74 



CHH.DBEN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



the goodness, and the mercy of God towards 
us. Let us, like Moses, show our gratitude ; 
let us glorify Hira with all the sincerity of our 
hearts. 



THE 

CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS 

AT THE FOOT OF MOUNT SINAI. 



MIRACLES IE THE DESERT OF ARABIA. 
I. 

THE WATERS OF MARA. 

Before Jesus Christ, 1645. 

Ox the day after the great victory gained 
over the Egyptians, through the protection of 
the God of armies, Moses, following the move- 
ment of the pillar, gave the signal for the de- 
parture. The people left the borders of the 
Red Sea, and advanced towards the deserts of 
Sur. On they marched in the wilderness of 
Ithan, in the midst of the burning sands of this 
country, without finding any water to drink. 
At length, on the night of the 2 2d of the first 
month, they discovered several wells, the wa- 
ter of which was extremely bitter, by reason 



76 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



of which the place was called Mara — bitterness. 
Exhausted with fatigue, the people cried, 
u Who will give us water to drink ?" And all 
at once the desert resounded with murmurs 
against Moses. Inconstant people ! they have 
already forgotten the wonders operated in their 
favor by the Almighty ! However, the servant 
of God had recourse to God, and the Lord 
showed him a kind of wood, and He told him 
to throw it into the water, so as to render it 
fit for use. Moses acted accordingly ; and by 
the power and goodness of God, it became 
sweet and agreeable to the taste ; all the 
Israelites drank of it, and they ceased to 
murmur : but this was not honoring the Lord 
as He merited. And He reproached them 
gently, saying, " If you listen to the voice of 
the Lord your God ; if you walk in His way 
with simplicity and uprightness; if you keep 
His commandments, I shall not afflict you by 
plagues as I did Egypt. I am the Lord thy 
God, and I shall protect you from all evil." 
After this gentle reprimand, the Israelites left 
Mara, and they arrived at Elim, where they 
found seventy palm-trees and twelve wells of 
pure water. (Exod. xv.) 

The wood thrown into the water of Mara, 
represents the Cross of Christ that renders the 



THE QUAILS. 



77 



bitter waters of tribulations sweet and agree- 
able, and that enables us to sutler, with pa- 
tience, the trials of this life. 

n. 

THE QUAILS. 

It would seem that the Israelites had wan- 
dered some time in the neighborhood of the 
wells, for haying left Elim, they only reached 
the desert of Sin, which is situated between Elim 
and Sinai, on the fifteenth of the second month 
of the year, and, therefore, it was precisely one 
month since their departure from Egypt. Un- 
fortunately, after a long march, their provisions 
were exhausted and they murmured as before. 
They surrounded Moses and his brother Aaron, 
and the most mutinous amongst them said : " Far 
better would it have been for us to die in Egypt, 
by the hand of the Lord. Why have you 
brought us into this dreadful wilderness where 
we shall all perish with our wives and children ?" 
And they loudly lamented their flesh-pots of 
Egypt and the bread they had in abundance. 
Moses had again recourse to the Lord, and he 
reprimanded the people : " This very night/ 5 said 
he to them, i; you shall be witness of another mir- 
acle of the goodness of God, who has delivered 
7* 



IS CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



you out of Egypt, He will give you meat for 
which you so much long, and to-morrow morn- 
ing He will manifest His glory in a still more 
wonderful manner. He will send you bread 
from Heaven. He has heard your murmurs. 
But why complain so seditiously ?" After these 
promises, Moses bade his brother assemble the 
children of Israel, in order that they should hear 
the confirmation of these new engagements. 

Aaron was yet speaking when all eyes were 
turned in the direction of the wilderness, and 
the Lord appeared in a cloud of glory, and He 
confirmed all that His servant had said. And 
indeed, at night, a cloud of quails covered the 
camp of the Hebrews, and they took them 
eagerly and made of them a delicate and abun- 
dant repast. (Exod. xvi.) 

But this was transient ; the Lord had granted 
them this delicious food, so that they should for- 
get the coarse food of Egypt. 

III. 

BREAD FROM HEAVEN. 

When Moses informed the Hebrews that God 
intended to supply them with meat, he spoke to 
them also of a bread that was to come from 
Heaven. The next morning, at an early hour, 
they perceived that all the environs of the camp 



BEE AD FROM HEAVED. 79 



were covered with a white dew upon which 
were clustered innumerable particles in the form 
of small beads. This dew had some resemblance 
to the hoarfrost that covers the surface of the 
earth in winter. Such a wonderful spectacle 
struck the people with surprise, and they said 
to each other, "Man-hu ?" which means : what is 
this ? " This is," said Moses to them, " the bread 
that the Lord your God has promised you for 
food, and listen to His orders hereupon : You 
shall gather each day as much of this dew as 
you may need, an omer (about three quarts), the 
portion of one man ; in each family, they shall 
gather, according to the number of persons in 
one tent." They immediately gathered it, and 
those who took a larger measure than was ne- 
cessary, found on their return, that it was not 
more than usual. " You see," said Moses, " that it 
is useless for you to gather a double quantity, 
the Lord wishes you to depend on His provi- 
dence ; let each one then take his share and re- 
serve none for the morrow." They heeded not 
his advice, and some of them gathered the manna 
for the next day, but it spoiled and they could 
not make use of it. This disobedience excited 
the just indignation of the servant of God. 

Abiding by the order of the Lord, they 
gathered, on the seventh day, a double quantity 



80 



CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



of this food. They acquainted Moses of this 
precaution and he approved of it. " This is, 1 ' said 
he, "the command of God : the seventh day is 
the Sabbath, a day of rest consecrated to the 
Lord. Gather then, to-day, double measure ; 
consume one part and keep the other for the 
next day, which is the holy day of rest." They 
followed this command, and the portion for the 
Sabbath kept perfectly well. Xevertheless some 
of them left their tents to gather the manna as 
on the preceding days, but there was none to 
be found. And the Lord said in His anger : 
" How long shall my laws be violated ? I have 
commanded the sanctification of the Sabbath, 
and I have permitted that each one should make 
double provision the day previous, and that 
each one should remain in his pavilion on the 
seventh day.'' 

This miraculous food had to be gathered in 
the early morning before sunrise. — otherwise it 
melted. They ground it under a mill-stone and 
they bruised it in a mortar, so as to reduce it to 
a paste which was baked in the form of cakes. 
It had the taste of the finest flour kneaded with 
oil and honey. This manna is called the bread 
of angels, the bread of Heaven, delectable bread. 
Those whose piety rendered them agreeable to 
God, found in it whatsoever taste they wished. 



NINTH FIGURE. 



Bl 



It was a substitute for the most delicate, the 
most varied food. The Israelites were fed with 
this miraculous bread as long as they were in 
the desert. By the order of God, Moses charged. 
Aaron, his brother, to take a measure of this 
manna and to keep it in a gold vase ; later, it 
was to be placed in the magnificent tabernacle 
which should be built by the order of the Lord, 
in the midst of his people. (Exod. xvu) 

The Christians hare an advantage over the 
Jews, inasmuch as they possess the true manna, 
the bread of Heaven. " I am," said our Saviour, 
" the bread of life ; he who eats of this bread shall 
have life everlasting ; this bread is my body 
which I give for the salvation of the world. 
Tour fathers have eaten of the manna, and they 
died ; but he who eateth this bread shall live 
for ever." (St. John vL, 33.) 

IV. 

NINTH FIGURE. 

The manna affords us a profound subject 
of consideration, and a true figure of Jesus 
Christ in the Eucharist. For the Israelites, 
the manna was a food that came from Heaven. 
For the Christians, the Eucharist is a bread of 
Heaven, destined to be the food of their souls. 
The manna was only given to the people of 



82 



CHILDREN OF THE PATRIAE CHS. 



Israel after they had passed through the waters 
of the Red Sea. The holy Eucharist is only given 
to Christians after baptism, figured by the pas- 
sage of Israel through the Red Sea. 

The manna fell for the Israelites only. It 
flattered their different tastes and tempera- 
ments, but it did not save them from death. 
The Eucharist is given to Christians only. It 
strengthens the weak, it consoles the afflicted, 
and it is a sign of life everlasting. 

The manna fell as long as the Israelites were 
in the desert, and when they arrived into the 
promised land it ceased. 

The Eucharist is the food of Christians so- 
journing on earth ; and when they are in 
Heaven, their true home, this food will also 
cease, and God, who has been veiled under the 
appearance of bread, will then appear to them 
in full glory- 

Let us nourish our souls with this divine 
bread, which makes us the dwelling of God 
Himself. Let us cherish this heavenly food ; it 
shows us the way to Heaven. Jesus Christ 
says : " He who eateth My body, and drinketh 
My blood, shall have life everlasting; and he 
shall rise triumphant on the last day." O, 
consoling words ! 



THE ROCK OF HOREB. 



83 



V. 

THE ROCK OF HOREB. 

It would seem impossible that the Israelites 
should henceforward want confidence in the 
Almighty, after the striking examples that had 
taken place. However, new wants disposed 
them to renew their murmurs. From the 
desert of Sin, where they had sojourned some 
time, they continued their march towards the 
desert of Sinai, and after a few days they 
reached Raphidim, near the mountain of Ho- 
reb. The pillar having stopped, their first 
care was to seek for springs and streams, but 
in vain. These children of the patriarchs had 
not inherited the faith and the confidence of 
their fathers. The want of water nigh excited 
them to despair, and they seditiously said to 
Moses : " Give us water, if you do not wish to 
see us die of thirst. Is it for this end you have 
taken us away from Egypt, with our children 
and our flocks ?" Moses reproached them for 
their injustice towards him, and their impiety 
towards God. Then, addressing himself to the 
Lord : " What shall I do," cried he, " to satisfy 
this people ? Pity them, and pity me, for they 
are ready to stone me to death !" The Lord, in 



84 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 

His ineffable goodness, heard the prayers of His 
servant, and He performed another miracle in 
favor of His people. "Fear not," said the 
Lord to Moses ; " place yourself at the head of 
the camp ; take the rod with which you struck 
the waters of the Nile ; choose some of the 
heads of the tribes, and let them accompany 
you to Mount Horeb. I shall precede you 
thither. I shall be there in an, invisible man- 
ner. With your rod you shall strike the rock, 
whence shall flow a stream of water, with 
which the people and their herds shall quench 
their thirst." Moses obeyed the orders of the 
Lord, in the presence of the elders of the tribes 
of Israel, and pure streams of water flowed 
from the hard rock, and they watered the dry 
and barren plains. 

During the Israelites' long sojourn at Raphi- 
dim, or in the neighboring deserts, the waters 
regulated their coarse to their march ; they 
followed them constantly, and supplied their 
wants without interruption. 

The place where this miracle took place was 
called Temptation, because there the children 
of Israel had manifested their impiety so far as 
to say : " Is the Lord with us or not ?" (Exod. 
xvii.) 

Faithless people ! How could they doubt 



FIGURE OF THE CROSS. 



85 



God's presence, after so many miracles of His 
divine assistance ? And yet what goodness on 
the part of God ! At the prayers of Moses, he 
granted them all that he asked for, despite 
their inconstancy. 

VI. 

FIGURE OF THE CROSS. 

Strengthened by this miraculous water, the 
Israelites were pursuing their course through 
the wilderness, when the Amalekites, descend- 
ants of Amalek, son of Elipha, and grandson of 
Esau, people of that part of Arabia lying east- 
ward of the Jordan, came close upon them, 
and obstructed their passage onward. They 
formed a strong army, equipped and armed for 
an attack ; but Moses, full of confidence in the 
God of armies, feared not this formidable en- 
counter. He, therefore, selected a captain fit 
to head the people of God, an J it was Josue, 
son of Xun, chief of the tribe of Ephraim. It 
was a difficult matter to organize an army with 
men totally undisciplined, and to lead them on 
against a powerful people, inured to war, and 
to open, in spite of their position, a passage to 
the land of Canaan, ' But Josue was the hero 
chosen by God for this glorious and important 
expedition, and for which He gave him the 
8 



86 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



necessary strength, courage, and knowledge. 
" The Lord," said Moses to Josue, " has des- 
tined you to be the captain of His troops ; take 
with you the hi avest of the Israelites, and give 
battle to Amalek. To-morrow I shall be on 
the summit of Mount Horeb, with my miracu- 
lous rod." 

Josue obeyed ; he took his men, and, acting 
according to the word of the seryant of God, 
he gave battle to the Amalekites, On the 
other hand, Moses, accompanied by his brother 
Aaron and by Hur, placed himself on the moun- 
tain which commanded a view of the battle- 
field ; and whilst Josue valiantly combated 
the enemy, Moses prayed, with his hands 
stretched towards Heaven — whence all protec- 
tion comes — thus forming the figure of the 
cross which should, at some future time, be so 
salutary to Christians, and so formidable to 
their enemies. 

Meanwhile, Moses observed all that was 
taking place around the camp. He noticed, 
likewise, that so long as he held his hands up- 
lifted the Israelites triumphed, and when with 
fatigue he would let them fall, Amalek seemed 
to gain advantage over the Israelites. Being 
thus obliged to keep his hands raised, they 
became heavy and benumbed ; his strength 



FIGURE OF THE CROSS. 



87 



failed him. Then Aaron and Hur, perceiving 
the exhaustion of this holy man, sat him down 
upon a stone, and, placing themselves by his 
side, they supported his arms ; so that, ex- 
periencing no further lassitude, Moses' hands 
were raised towards Heaven till sunset, at 
which time the victory was won. The Ama- 
lekites were entirely defeated, and they no 
longer impeded the march of the people of 
God. 

The Lord then commanded Moses to write the 
history of this event in a separate book ; to re- 
late therein the anathema pronounced against 
Amalek, and the implacable war which He de- 
clared against him. This manuscript should be 
given to Josue, thence to the judges and to 
the kings, until the time marked for the accom- 
plishment of its decrees. 

After this victory, Moses gave public thanks- 
giving to God. He raised an altar, to which 
he gave a Hebrew name, and which signifies — 
The Lord is my glory. He offered victims to 
the God of armies, saying : " The Lord hath 
sworn to exterminate the enemies of his people 
— the Amalekites — from generation to gene- 
ration, until their name is effaced from the 
memory of men." (Exod. xvii.) 

Life is a continued combat. At every step 



88 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



we meet with enemies who would impede our 
passage to the true promised land. 

How shall we be fortified for this continual 
struggle if it be not by prayer '? In imitation 
of Moses, let us raise our supplicating hands 
towards Heaven, let the cross of our Saviour be 
our support, it will render us strong and victo- 
rious. 

YIL > 

A FAMILY MEETING. 

The miracles performed by God in favor of 
His people were soon known throughout foreign 
countries, but in no place were they spoken of 
with more interest and gladness than at Midian, 
in the family of Jethro, the father-in-law of 
Moses. Full of profound joy, the former took 
the wife of the servant of God and his two sons, 
and went forth on a journey to congratulate his 
son-in-law. He arrived- at the foot of Mount 
Horeb, where the children of Israel were yet en- 
camped. Jethro did not judge it proper to sur* 
prise this great man whom God had chosen to 
deliver His people, so he forewarned him of his 
coming by a messenger who had order to say : 
w Your father-in-law. your wife Sephora, and 
your two sons are impatiently waiting to see 
you. v Moses hastened to meet his father-in- 



A FAMILY MEETING. 



89 



law, before whom he prostrated himself ; on the 
other hand, Jethro bent over Moses and em- 
braced him tenderly. After Moses had given 
his wife and his children marks of his sincere 
affection, he led the travellers to his tent, and 
he related to them all the mighty things that 
God had wrought in favor of His people, and 
the victory they had just gained over the Ama- 
lekites. Jethro listened to this recital with pro- 
found emotion, and, more grateful than the chil- 
dren of Israel, he praised the goodness, the 
power, and the mercy of the Lord. " Blessed be 
the God of Israel," exclaimed he, " who hath 
broken the chains' of His people, and hath de- 
livered them from the persecutions of the Egyp- 
tians and from the tyranny of Pharaoh. Yes, 
O Lord, I confess you are the only true Cjtod, 
you have chastised the transgressors of your will. 
You alone are great and the mighty ruler of the 
world." Jethro not only praised the Lord, but, 
being priest of the Most High, he offered Him 
burnt-sacrifices, in gratitude. Aaron and the 
elders of Israel participated also in this happy 
union, and Moses having retained them, they 
all shared in the grand festivity prepared in 
honor and in the presence of the Lord. (Exod. 
xviii.) 

Jethro, though a stranger, had no sooner 
8* 



90 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



heard of the wonderful things operated by the 
Lord, in favor of His people, than he left the land 
of Midian and his occupation, to mingle, with 
the servant of God, his praise and thanksgiving ; 
whilst the Israelites, the objects and the wit- 
nesses of this great solemnity, manifested, never- 
theless, their insubordination, their ingratitude, 
and even their idolatry. 

VIII. 

A SALUTARY COUNSEL. 

The gladness of Moses and the high conside- 
ration which he bore for Jethro, did not make 
him oblivious of the duties which he owed, as it 
were, more to his people than to his family. 

The next day, the servant of God resumed 
his ordinary occupations, and at early morning 
he was again the arbiter of his people ; his whole 
time was consecrated to them, and scarcely had 
he a moment's respite. Jethro felt anxious, on 
beholding the constant and laborious exertions 
of his son-in-law, and he said to him : " Why do 
you deal thus with this people ? You are the 
only judge in their midst, and for this reason you 
are beset from dawn of day till sunset." " And 
how otherwise should I deal with them?" replied 
Moses ; " this people look upon me as their oracle ; 



A SALTJTAEY COUNSEL. 



91 



to appease their various contests, they have re- 
course to me, so as I should make known to 
them the will and the laws of God." " This is 
just," rejoined Jethro, " but suffer me to speak to 
you with all sincerity of heart : this labor is 
above your strength, cease it therefore in clue 
time or you will succumb. Hearken to the coun- 
sel I now give you, for it meets the approbation 
of the Most High. Reserve yourself for all 
things concerning Religion, its worship, its cere- 
monies, and the instruction of the people, but 
for the rest you are not short of honest and dis- 
interested men, who fear God and cherish truth 
and justice ; leave to them the details of minor 
affairs, and once more, reserve yourself for those 
of first importance. Abiding by this advice, 
you will act according to the designs of the 
Lord. You will thereby fulfil the duties of your 
ministry, you will be relieved of a heavy task, 
and your people will go their way satisfied." 

Moses followed the advice of his father-in-law, 
and having selected amongst his people the most 
respected of them for their piety, their honesty 
and their learning, he instituted them as judges 
over a certain number of persons, over a thou- 
sand, a hundred, fifty, and even over ten. They 
were to settle minor matters, reserving those of 
importance for Moses. After this salutary ad- 



92 GHILDBEN OF THE PATEIAP.CHS. 

vice, wherefore it would seem that God had 
conveyed Jethro to Mount ITureb. the latter took 
leave of Moses arid returned to Mid: an de lighted 
with the greeting whereof he was the object. 
(Exod. xviii.) 

Let us admire the modesty of Moses. He 
condescends to hearken to the advice of a fellow- 
being, in spite of the great wisdom whereby he 
was invested by God. Then, he shares with 
others an authority which he might have re- 
served for himself. Such is the example of the 
Saints: they know not ambition, nor jealousy, 
nor pride. 



MIGHTY DISPLAY FOE THE PROMULGA- 
TION OF THE LAW. 
I. 

SOLEMN PROPOSITIONS. 

The pillar gave the usual signal, and the Is- 
raelites departs :1 from Raphidini, and on the 
first day of the third month since the going out 
of Egvpt. they entered the desert of Sinai, and 
their journey thither was not long. The}' raised 
a pavilion in view of the famous mountain which 
gave its name to thjs wilderness, leaving open 
a large spare of land between the camp which 



SOLEMN PROPOSITIONS. 



93 



they had chosen and the height which was to 
serve as the theatre to one of the most sublime, 
and most solemn spectacles that eye of man 
had ever witnessed. 

As it was to be apprehended that the truths 
which God had given to the father of the human 
race, and which were transmitted, by tradition 
from father to son, might be changed and even 
forgotten, God wished to renew them by giving 
written laws. Moses had retired to the summit 
of Mount Sinai, to offer prayers to God, when, 
in the midst of the silence and his deep medita- 
tion, the Lord made His voice heard, and He 
said : " Go, Moses, return to the Hebrews and 
tell them that their God has said : You have 
witnessed the severity with which I have treated 
the Egyptians, and how I have delivered you 
from out of their hands. I have chosen you for 
my people ; I have carried you as the eagle car- 
ries her young ones upon her wings. If there- 
fore you listen to my voice, if you do my will, 
you shall be the choice portion of my inheri- 
tance, for the world belongs to me. You shall 
be to me a priestly kingdom, and a holy na 
tion." 

Moses came down from the mountain, and 
called together the children of God ; he repeated 
to them faithfully the words of the Lord and he 



94 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



terminated by asking of them a precise answer. 
They exclaimed unanimously : " We shall do 
as the Lord says, we shall submit without mur- 
mur to His commands. n Moses returned, with 
joy, to apprise the Lord of the resolution of his 
people. " Now," replied the Lord. " you shall 
be my interpreter to them. I shall appear to 
you veiled in a dark cloud, in order that my 
people hear me when I shall speak to you. and 
that they believe the truths which you will an- 
nounce to them from me. Return to the camp, 
purify the Hebrews to-day. and to-morrow 
let them wash their garments and be ready for 
the third day, on which the Lord will descend 
in all His glory on Mount Sinai, in the presence 
of the people of Israel. Encompass the niotm 
tain with barriers, and say to the people: do 
not ascend the mountain or pass those limits, for 
those who transgress this order shall die. ani- 
mals as well as men. They shall approach the 
limits, but at the sound of a trumpet." Moses 
came back from the mountain and related all 
that the Lord hod commanded. (Exod. xix.) 

What respect for this mountain whence 
should come the voice of the Almighty, pub- 
lishing His divine oracles, and giving His laws. 
\Vhat dispositions then were necessary to hear 
the voice of God; and how do we now dispose 



TEX DIVINE SENTENCES. 



95 



ourselves to hear the oracles of the new law 
and the W©rd of God ? 

EL 

TEX DIVINE SEXTEXCE3. 

All these preparations were necessary for 
the grand solemnity of the publication of the 
law. and to dispose the people to receive them 
with sentiments of religious veneration. On 
the third day. the people of Israel were full of 
anxious expectation, when at sunrise the 
thunder resounded through the heavens, the 
lightning lit up the sky with vivid splendor, 
and a dense and sombre cloud shrouded the 
mountain from view. From the depth of this 
cloud came the sound of the trumpet calling 
forth the children of Israel, but they were 
seized with fear, and they fled to their tents for 
shelter. Moses, himself terrified, could scarcely 
render his voice audible. At length he as- 
sembled the children of Israel in the open space 
between the camp and the barriers placed at the 
foot of the mount. Then Moses ascended to- 
ward its summit, to receive the laws of our 
Divine Master. The atmosphere was pregnant 
with fire, and the smoke thickened into whirl- 
winds of flame, the trumpet sounded long and" 



96 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 

piercing, and the whole aspect above was one 
of awful grandeur. 

The Lord told Moses to return, and to 
caution the Israelites not to pass the limits for 
fear of being struck dead. Moses obeyed, and 
he and his brother Aaron were the only ones 
exempted from this law. Soon in the midst of 
this scene of terror and majesty, the voice of 
the Almighty was distinctly heard to say: "I 
am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of 
the land of Egypt, out of the house of bon- 
dage : 

" 1. Thou shalt not have strange gods before 
Me ; thou shalt not make to thyself a graven 
thing, nor the likeness of any thing in heaven 
above, or in the earth beneath, or of those 
things that are in the waters under the earth ; 
thou shalt not adore them or serve them. I 
am the Lord thy God, mighty, jealous, visiting 
the iniquity of the fathers, upon the children to 
the third and fourth generation of those who 
hate Me, and showing mercy, unto thousands, 
to those who love Me and keep My command- 
ments. 

" 2. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord 
thy God in vain. 

" 3. Remember that thou keep holy the Sab- 
bath day. Six days thou shalt labor and do all 



TEN DIVINE SENTENCES. 



97 



thy work ; but the seventh is the Sabbath of the 
Lord thy God ; on it thou shalt do no work, thou 
nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy man- 
servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy beast, 
nor the stranger who is within thy gates ; 
for in six days the Lord made heaven and 
earth, and the sea and all tilings that are in them, 
and rested on the seventh day ; therefore hath 
the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and sancti- 
fied it. 

" 4. Honor thy father and mother, that thy 
days may be long in the land which the Lord 
thy God giveth thee. 

"5. Thou shalt not kill. 

" 6. Thou shalt not commit adultery. 

" 7. Thou shalt not steal. 

" 8. Thou shalt not bear false witness 
against thy neighbor. 

" 9. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife. 

" 10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's 
goods, nor his man-servant, nor his maid- 
servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing 
belonging to him." 

Those are the commandments of God, or His 
laws which He has graven in the hearts of all 
men, and which He renewed then, because igno- 
rance and passions had almost effaced them 
from their memories. (Exod. xx.) 
9 



95 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIAE CHS. 

Thus was published the eternal, divine, un- 
changeable law. containing all that which we 
owe to God and to our neighbor. Very differ- 
ent from the laws ending with the synagogue, 
for it is irrefragable, and Jesus Christ Himself 
has said that not a syllable, not a letter shall 
be retrenched therefrom. 

III. 

FEAR OF DEATH. 

TT hex the Lord ceased to speak, the light- 
nings, the flames, and the smoke escaped from 
the mountain like from a burning furnace. The 
thunder continued to shake the mountain, and 
the voice of the trumpet resounded with the 
same awful solemnity. Meanwhile, the He- 
brews struck with a strange fear retired to their 
tents and said to Moses : u We have been made 
witnesses of the glory and the majesty of the 
Lord* we have heard Him speak in the midst of 
flames, and now we have learned by experience 
that a man can hear the voice of God and not 
die ;* but this miracle might not be repeated a 
second time. 

" What is man. that he can hope to live after 
having seen and heard that which we have 

* It was a general opinion amongst the Jews, that no 

one could see G-od without dying. 



PEAK OF DEATH. 



99 



heard and seen? Do you, Moses, you the ser- 
vant of the Lord, approach and hear the voice 
of the Sovereign Master; you will bring us 
back His commands, and we shall execute 
them, for fear that we might die." " Cease to 
fear," said Moses to them, " the Lord has shown 
Himself to you in all the splendor of His ma- 
jesty to test your faith, to avert prevarication, 
and that you may respect His infinite power." 
They remained therefore at a respectful dis- 
tance, whilst Moses disappeared in the midst 
of the dread obscurity that enveloped the 
mountain, and he represented to the Lord the 
fear of His people. " I have heard them," said 
the Lord, u and I am not angered ; I approve 
of their submission and their respect : may they 
always remain in fear and keep my precepts for- 
ever, that I may bless them and their children. 
" Go now," continued the Lord, " and tell the 
people to enter their camp ; do you return here, 
and I shall make known to you my will, which 
you will then give to my people." 

" The Lord said unto me at Horeb : c I shall 
raise from amongst their fathers, a Prophet* 
like to one of you ; He shall speak my words, 
and He shall do my will. He who does not listen 
to Him shall be the object of my vengeance.' " 

* This Prophet is Jesus Christ. 



100 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



Admirable prediction of the ancient legisla- 
tor who, penetrating through the darkness of 
fourteen centuries, saw the birth of the divine 
Prophet and the promulgation of a new law, of 
which his was but the shadow, the sketch, the 
figure. (Exod. xx. ; Deut. xviii.) 

The Jews said to Closes : " Let not the Lord 
speak unto us for fear we might die." But we, 
who are the children of grace, we address our- 
selves directly to the eternal Truth, and we say to 
him : " Speak unto us, O Lord, that we may not 
die ; you alone have the words of eternal life." 

IV. 

DIVIXE PRECEPTS. 

After these divine recommendations, Moses 
returned to the people and spoke to them of the 
goodness with which the Lord had heard his 
prayer. He instructed them anew upon the 
prohibition of idols of gold and silver ; then, 
sending them back to their tents, he ascended 
again upon the mountain. There the Lord gave 
His minister several other laws, which are most- 
ly explanations of the ten great commandments 
already given by the Almighty. He subjoined 
several precepts upon morals, and a few cere- 
monies regarding Religion. We cannot refrain 



DIVINE PRECEPTS. 



101 



mentioning here some fragments of these di- 
vine laws. 

Thou shalt proscribe magicians and sorcerers, 
and whosoever shall sacrifice to strange gods 
shall perish. Thou shalt do no evil to strangers, 
remembering that thou hast been a stranger in 
the land of Egypt. Thou shalt do no evil to 
the widow nor to the orphan ; if thou harmest 
them, their cries will reach mine ear, and I will 
hearken to them ; my wrath will break out 
against thee ; thou shalt perish by the sword ; 
thy wives shall become widows, thy children or- 
phans. Thou shalt not speak ill of magistrates 
or judges, and thou shalt not curse the head 
of thy people. Thou shalt not listen to lying 
words, nor bear false, witness with the wicked. 
In judgment, thou shalt not agree with the 
greater number, when acting contrary to truth 
and justice. Do not allow thyself to be moved 
with compassion in a judgment against the poor, 
but likewise condemn him not unjustly because 
he is poor. Thou shalt not cause the death of 
the innocent and the just, for I abhor him who 
is guilty of injustice. Thou shalt not receive 
gifts ; they blind even the wise man, and cor- 
rupt the judgment of the just. Thou shalt rise 
in respect to old age; thou shalt honor the 
aged with a fear of the Lord thy God. Let not 
0* 



102 CHILDEEX OF THE PATPwlAECHS. 



the wages of the laborer be left unpaid till the 
morrow, but pay it the same clay before sunset ; 
he is poor, he must eara his bread, and if he 
make known to me his grievances, I shah eharee 
thee with this sin. Exod. xxih. xxih, 

These Laws teach ns to be gentle, humane, 
and charitable towards our brothers, to do cood 
to every one. to harm no one. Th she aid we 
walk in the traces of our heavenly Father, who 
is love, charity, and mercy itself 

V. 

FIRST CONFIRMATION OF THE 
ALLIANCE. 

Havtxg- received the instructions of the Lord, 
Moses came down from the mountain, and. 
assembling the princes of the tribes and the 
eHers, he made known to tbem the irifl :z God, 
His different laws, and His rales of conduct for 
the nation : and he charged them to instruct Is- 
rael thereof. The latter immediately published 
them in the camp, and ah responded in a unani- 
mous voice : 4> We shall submit to the Lord, 
we shall do all that he demands of us/' Whilst 
the people retired to res:. Moses spent the great- 
er pan of the night writing all the laws and 
the rules of Go 1. Early in the morning he left 
his tent, followed by a fbw of the most fervent 



FIRST CCXNTIRMATTOX OF ALLIANCE. 103 



Israelites ; and he went forth to the foot of the 
mountain ; there he raised an altar, which was 
like a throne to God. Around the altar were 
twelve pillars, representing the twelve tribes of 
Israel. This work accomplished, Moses as- 
sembled the people for the confirmation of the 
alliance. They went forth in multitudes, and 
all being placed around the altar, he gave 
orders for the sacrifices. He selected twelve 
youths, each of whom olfered to the Lord as a 
holocaust, a calf and other victims. Then Mo- 
ses read the book of the law in the presence of 
all the people, who again answered : " We sub- 
mit to the Lord, we shall do all that He asks of 
us. 1 ' Then the servant of God, standing by the 
altar, had brought to him a bunch of hyssop, 
and some wool tinted in scarlet color ; he dip- 
ped them into the blood of the victims, which 
was mixed with pure water, and he sprinkled, 
by aspersion, the book of the law, which was 
placed upon the altar ; then the twelve tribes 
presented themselves, one after the other, and 
he sprinkled them, by aspersion, with the same 
blood, pronouncing those words : " This is the 
blood of the alliance that the Lord has contract- 
ed with you, on the conditions written in the 
book of the law." (Exod. xxiv.) 

By this aspersion, the Lord, in the person of 



104 CHILDREN" OF THE PATRIARCHS. 

Moses, confirmed the alliance which had been 
announced so often to Abraham, Isaac, aDd 
Jacob. The people, covered with the blood of 
the victims, ratified their promises and submit- 
ted themselves to the chastisement of their 
transgressions. By virtue of this contract, the 
children of Israel became, as it were, more par- 
ticularly the children of God; and God de- 
clared Himself to be their protector, their father, 
and their king. Never had they witnessed a 
more solemn ceremony. 

What great advantages we have over the 
Jews ! The blood of the victims whereby 
they were sprinkled, was the mark of the alli- 
ance between God and them ; and we Chris- 
tians have the blood of God himself poured into 
our souls ! This divine blood strengthens them 
and nourishes them. It is the mark of an eter- 
nal alliance with God, a mark which leads us 
to Heaven, and allows us to participate in His 
very divinity ! 

VI. 

TENTH FIGURE. 
This ceremony of the aspersion of the blood 
of the victims, was but the figure, the shadow 
of that which, after more than fifteen centuries, 
should confirm the new alliance of the Saviour 



TEXTH FIGURE. 



105 



with all men ; when the Messiah, Son of (Grod 
and God Himself, wished to ratify it by the effu- 
sion of His own blood, and to become the vic- 
tim, the priest, and the mediator of the con- 
tract And indeed : 

To confirm the old alliance, Moses erected 
an altar crowned with twelve pillars, represent- 
ing the twelve tribes of Israel. Jesus Christ, 
to confirm the new alliance, erected the altar of 
the last Supper, with the twelve apostles repre- 
senting all the Church. 

Moses immolated victims, and taking the 
blood thereof, he sprinkled the people, saying: 
" This is the blood of the alliance which the 
Lord has contracted with you." Our Lord im- 
molated Himself as victim ; He shed His blood 
aud He sprinkled His apostles with it, and giving 
them His blood to drink, He said these words : 
"This is the blood of the new alliance which 
the Lord has contracted with you." 

When the Israelites were sprinkled with the 
blood of the victims, they became the people of 
God, who promised that, if they were faithful, 
He would protect them in the desert and guide 
them to the promised land. When the Chris- 
tians were sprinkled with the blood of Jesus 
Christ, they became the true people of God, 
who promised that, if they remained faithful, He 



106 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



would protect them in the desert of this life, 
and guide them to the true promised land — 
Heaven. 

In the old law there were bloody sacrifices, 
whose victims were immolated; others were 
unbloody, whose victims were not immolated. 
In the new law, we have the bloody sacrifice of 
the cross, upon which Jesus Christ was immo- 
lated, and those on our altars, where Jesus 
Christ is immolated in a mystical manner ; for, 
once raised from the dead, he can never die. 
In the old law, the substance of an unbloody 
sacrifice was bread and wine. In the new law, 
it is bread and wine changed into the body and 
blood of Jesus Christ. 

In the old law, to replace sacrifices, they im- 
molated, morning and night, a lamb without 
spot. In the new law, to perpetuate the au- 
gust sacrifice of the cross, which replaces all 
the sacrifices of the old law, because, during 
over eighteen centuries, and throughout the 
world, at every hour, at ever instant of the day 
and night, there are sacrifices upon our altars 
of the Lamb of God. Let us unite ourselves 
with the ministers of the Most High, who offer 
throughout the universe, a victim without spot, 
for the salvation of all men. 



A FAST OF FORTY DATS. 107 



STRANGE PREVARICATION. 
I 

A FAST OF FORTY DAYS. 

After the confirmation of the alliance, 
Moses, obeying the orders of the Lord, con- 
ducted Aaron and his two oldest sons and 
seventy-two elders of the nation to render 
homage to the Sovereign Being of the Uni- 
verse. They returned to the camp transported 
with the magnificent spectacle of the glory of 
God, of which they had been witness. The next 
day Moses had order to ascend the holy moun- 
tain to receive from the Almighty two tables 
of stone, upon which were written the laws, 
which were the foundation of the alliance with 
Israel. Josue, his principal confidant and gene- 
ral of the people of God, accompanied him 
thither. As Moses expected to be sometime 
absent, he assembled the elders, and said to 
them : 6k I am going on Mount Sinai, whither 
the Lord calls me. Remain in the same en- 
campments till my return; if any contests 
arise amongst you, or any extraordinary occur- 
rence happen, you have Aaron and Hur ; let 
the people address themselves to them, and let 



108 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS . 



them abide by their decisions." After this warn- 
ing, Moses departed, accompanied by Josue. 
On reaching close to the summit of the mount, 
they halted to receive new orders. Immedi- 
ately the mountain was covered with a thick 
cloud, which concealed it entirely from the 
yiew of the people, this was, however, a sen- 
sible mark of the glory of the Lord and His 
presence on Mount Sinai. It manifested itself 
likewise to the children of Israel as a beautiful 
bright and luminous name glowing above the 
dark cloud that surrounded the mountain. 
During oix days, Moses and Josue were envel- 
oped in this darkness. The seventh day the 
Lord called His servant, who at once separated 
from Josue, and mounted through the cloud to 
the summit of the holy mountain. There he 
remained alone in the presence of his God dur- 
ing forty days and forty nights, without feeling 
the slightest want of food. Meanwhile, the 
Lord communicated to him the manner in 
which He wished to be worshipped ; He deter- 
mined all that related to the sacrifices ; He 
likewise ordered him to prepare all the neces- 
sary materials for the erection of those grand 
works of which He would soon give him the 
model and the designs — these were the Taber- 
nacle, the Ark of the Covenant, &c. The Lord 



A FAST OF FORTY DATS. 



109 



gave also orders relating to a great many other 
ceremonies, whose object was divine worship. 
" Behold," said the Lord, "and imitate the 
model shown to you on the mountain." At 
length, on the fortieth day, the Lord gave 
Moses two tables of stone, whereon were en- 
graven the ten precepts promulgated with so 
much splendor in the presence of the people on 
Mount Sinai. 

Then the servant of God departed from the 
mountain, and went forth amongst the Hebrews 
to publish the new revelations whereby he was 
honored. (Exod. xxv.) 

Moses was in the presence of God during 
forty days and forty nights without taking any 
food. Fast and abstinence approach us to the 
celestial spirits, and above all, to the Supreme 
Being. Alas ! why should this holy and salu- 
tary law be generally overlooked, shunned, and 
almost abolished ? 

Like Moses, we can be in the presence of 
God, not only forty days, but forty years, and 
all our lifetime, by offering Him our actions 
at the commencement of the day, by conversing 
with Him, as a friend to a friend, even in the 
midst of numerous occupations, by praising Him 
at all times — in adversity as in prosperity. 

Thus, like another Moses, we shall be ever 
10 



4 

110 CHILDREN OE THE PATRIARCHS. 

on the mountain, surrounded by glory in the 
presence of God. 

XL 

HORRIBLE PREVARICATION. 

Whilst Moses was on the mountain fasting 
and praying, and receiving from God the im- 
portant instructions for the Hebrews, they, the 
ingrates ! were disposing themselves by their 
own crimes for dreadful chastisements. They 
supposed that the absence of Moses would not 
be prolonged ; a month elapsed, and they had 
no tiding of him. They impiously renewed 
their murmurs, and, surrounding Aaron in 
multitudes, they seditiously cried : " Up ! make 
us a god which will go before us ! As for this 
Moses, we know not what has become of him.' 9 
They became so mutinous, that Aaron was in 
danger of being stoned to death, had he made 
the merest resistance. He endeavored to dis- 
suade them from this sacrilegious resolution, 
yet he asked them for their jewels ! " Well, 
then," said Aaron to them, " since you must 
have gods, strip your wives and your daughters 
of their ear-rings, and bring them hither." He 
was promptly obeyed, and the ground before 
him was soon scattered with their precious 
jewels. Aaron, overcome by fear, took them 



HORRIBLE PREVARICATION. 



Ill 



and delivered them to be cast into a furnace, and 
made into a golden calf, which was placed upon 
a pedestal, At the sight of this image, the 
Hebrews, seized with the demon of idolatry, 
exclaimed unanimously: "This, and like this, 
is thy God, O Israel, that brought thee up out 
of the land of Egypt," Aaron thought prob- 
ably that this excess of idolatry would be of 
short duration ; and in this hope he erected 
an altar before this abominable divinity, and 
ordered a herald to announce that the next 
day they would celebrate a grand feast to this 
god. 

Alas ! he was deceived ; he saw that this 
golden image was for them a veritable idoL 
At early morning they burned incense, and 
sacrificed before it ; then they ate and drank ; 
and having cast aside their arms and their 
tunics, they rose from table to spend the re- 
mainder of the day in dancing and in profane 
amusements. Aaron was grieved to witness 
this disorder, this sacrilegious excess which, 
indeed, he might have prevented at the peril 
of his life. But the God of Israel is filled with 
just wrath. (Exod. xxxii.) 

After the solemn protestations of fidelity of 
this people, who would not be seized with hor- 
ror at the sight of their sacrilegious violations 



112 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS* 



of the first commandment ? To adore a metal 
calf! What ingratitude ! what folly ! 

But there are others in the present age who 
are guilty of folly and ingratitude : the proud, 
the voluptuous, the avaricious, the ambitious, 
do they not abandon God to adore vain idols ? 
Their lips may confess the existence of the true 
God, whilst their souls bow before the vile 
divinities of flesh and metal. 

HI. 

EXTERMINATION OF IDOLATERS. 

However, Moses was on the mountain, and 
the Lord had given him the knowledge of His 
will. He was on the point of returning to- 
wards his beloved people, for he knew not 
what had taken place ! But God had witnessed 
their criminal enjoyments, and He was resolved 
to exterminate the prevaricators. " Go," said 
He to His servant, " descend the mountain. 
Your cherished people, which you have brought 
forth out of Egypt, hath sinned against me ; 
the in grates ! they have made a golden calf ; 
they have adored it ; they have offered it sacri- 
fices, and they have said : ' This is thy God, 
O Israel, which has carried thee out of the 
land of Egypt.' I see that they are stiff- 
necked, indocile, and incorrigible ; but I shall 



EXTERMINATION OF IDOLATERS. 113 



annihilate them in my wrath. I shall choose 
another people, more powerful, more numerous, 
and of which I shall give you the guidance." 
" jSTo, O Lord," replied Moses, " I implore you 
not to manifest your anger against this people ; 
they are your children ; you have withdrawn 
them from bondage ; you have severed their 
chains by the strength of your Almighty hand. 
Would you have the Egyptians insult your 
name, and say : 4 It is for evil that their God 
has taken them out of Egypt ; it is to let them 
perish in the deserts ; it is to banish them to- 
tally from off the face of the earth.' O, my 
God, allow yourself to be moved. Remember 
your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Israel ; you 
have said to them : 4 1 shall multiply your race 
as the stars of the firmament ; I shall give to 
your posterity the land of Canaan.' You will 
keep your promise, O Lord, and you will not 
abandon your holy name to the blasphemies of 
the impious." At the voice of Moses, God was 
disarmed, and He did not execute the total ruin 
of the Hebrews. Such is the all-powerful 
effect of the prayer of the just ! 

The servant of God came down from the 
mountain, and his heart was overflowing with 
the bitterest sorrow ! He held in his hands the 
tables of stone, whereon were engraven the 
10* 



114 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



precepts of the law. Josue joined him, and he 
knew not to what he should attribute the grief 
of his master. At the foot of the mountain he 
heard a confused noise. " Is not this,*' said he 
to Moses, "the clamor of two armies fighting?" 
" Not so, Josue," responded Moses, "the con- 
fusion you hear is not soldiers on the battle- 
field, but the disorder of a senseless people. 
Moses said no more ; and as he approached the 
camp, he perceived the calf placed upon a pil- 
lar, and the children of Israel singing and dan- 
cing profanely around it. In his indignation, 
Moses broke the tables of stone upon which 
God had engraven the law ; then, advancing in 
the midst of the astonished people, he seized 
hold of the idol, and cast it afar. Aaron had 
order to burn it : it was then ground into a 
powder, which, being mixed with water, Moses 
made the idolaters drink of the nauseous 
draught. Thus did they swallow their own 
iniquity. What energy on the part of the ser- 
vant of God, when compelled to punish such 
horrid crimes! Turning then to Aaron, he re- 
buked him sternly : " What," said he, " has 
this people done to you that you should suffer 
them to be guilty of the greatest of crimes ?" 
" Let not my Lord be offended,*' replied Aaron ; 
u you know the inclinations of this people 



EXTERMINATION OF IDOLATERS. 



115 



to idolatry, for they all cried : 4 Make us 
a god which shall go before us : as for this 
Moses, who has taken us out of the land of 
Egypt, we know not what has become of him.' 
I could not alone resist their fury, and I de- 
manded their gold and jewels, which were in- 
stantly thrown down before me, and the image 
of a calf was produced therefrom." 

The people, witnessing the severity which 
Moses used towards his own brother, stood 
trembling in await for the sentence which should 
be pronounced against them . And did not the 
majesty of God demand reparation ? Moses 
placed himself at the entrance of the camp, and 
raising his voice, exclaimed : " Whosoever among 
ye have remained faithful to God, join me." 
Then those of the tribe of Levi, who had not 
participated in the crime of idolatry, gathered 
around their leader, who was so justly angered, 
and he said to them : " Be armed each one of 
you with your sword, and slay all those who 
have bowed their knee before the calf." Moses 
was obeyed, the prevaricators were overwhelmed 
with consternation and remorse, and they sub- 
mitted without resistance to this terrible ven- 
geance. In one hour three and twenty thou- 
sand men were slain by the sword, in expiation of 
their sin against God. Then Moses said to the 



116 



CHILDREN OF THE PATEIAECHS. 



children of Levi : " Enough ; this day you have 
consecrated yourselves to God, by being the in- 
struments of His vengeance ; you have drawn 
down upon you His blessing." Having thus 
spoken, he sent them forth and retired to his 
tent. (Exod. xxxii.) 

. This chastisement seems terrible, but it was 
provoked by an enormous crime, the crime of 
disloyalty, divine and human, that of idola- 
try. Why did not the Lord, who is the Sover- 
eign Master of life, exterminate the whole na- 
tion ? He could have done it, inasmuch as He 
forbid idolatry upon pain of death, and if three 
and twenty thousand only of the transgressors 
were punished, it is owing to His great good- 
ness and mercy. 

IV. 

THE BOOK OF LIFE. 

The next day, Moses assembled the people, and 
represented to them the enormity of their crime. 
" You are prevaricators," said he to them, " you 
have committed against the Lord the greatest 
of crimes ; I shall intercede for you ; await 
here the result thereof." Having reached the 
spot where he was wont to pray, he prostrated 
himself before God, he humbled himself in His 



THE BOOK OF LIFE. 



117 



presence, as though he was himself culpable. 
" O Lord," exclaimed he, " hearken to the prayers 
of your servant. I know your people to be un- 
grateful, that they have adored idols of vile 
metal, but, O pardon them, or if you cannot 
show mercy, efface me from off your book, the 
book of life." " Xo," replied the Lord, « it shall 
not be you, but those who have sinned against 
rue that I shall efface from the book of life. As 
for you, Moses, go conduct this people into the 
promised land ; my angel shall precede you 
thither, and I shall punish tins crime in the day 
of my wrath. Say to the Israelites, you are an 
ungrateful people, I shall no longer lead you 
myself, for fear that new transgressions should 
oblige me to exterminate you all. O guilty 
people ! strip yourselves of your ornaments, and 
I shall see what is to be done." The Israelites 
were fear-stricken at these words, and divesting 
themselves of their rich robes, they put on 
black garments and sackcloth, and they wept 
in repentance to soften the Lord. 

However, Moses, by his prayers and his sup- 
plications, prevailed on the Lord to continue to 
be the leader of his people. Encouraged by these 
graces, he solicited the favor of beholding the 
glory of the Lord ; this was granted him. The 
day following, when on the summit of the moan- 



118 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 

tain, he retired to the hollow of a rock. All of 
a sudden, the Lord covered him with a cloud, 
so as not to overpower him by the greatness of 
His majesty, and he passed with His glory ; the 
cloud vanished, and Moses beheld the Lord 
when it passed away. The elect alone can see 
the Lord face to face, that is to say, His essence. 
(Exod. xxxiii.) 

How terrible for the transgressor to incur the 
Lord's anger; but how consoling for the just 
to converse with this God of goodness, of mer- 
cy, to speak with him as a friend to a friend, 
and to live in the hope of seeing Him face to 
face in His glory ! 

V. 

TIME OF PRATER. 

At the commencement of the journey, Moses 
had erected a tent in the midst of the camp ; it 
served as a tabernacle, till such time as the Lord 
would give orders to raise another. In thia 
tabernacle, Moses received the communications 
of the Lord. It was as a propitiatory shrine^ 
which assured Israel of God's protection. Those 
who had grave questions to settle, went there 
to consult the holy legislator, and all the people 
looked upon it as a sign of the protection of 



TIME OF PEAYEE. 



119 



God over them. Moses had it transported from 
out of the camp, because it had been profaned 
by idolatry. Deplorable abandonment of a 
God justly angered, who no longer would dwell 
on sacrilegious ground in the midst of a crimi- 
nal people ! 

The holy legislator made of it, as it were, his 
common abode, so constant were his communi- 
cations with God. When he passed in the midst 
of the people to repair to this cherished tent, 
they rose in respect, they eagerly gazed at him 
till he disappeared within its enclosure : then a 
pillar of cloud was seen to descend and to re- 
main at its entrance, whilst he held communi- 
cation with God. Meantime, the Israelites 
prayed in their* pavilions ; they adored the ma- 
jesty of the Sovereign Master, who spoke to His 
servant as a friend would speak to a friend, ma- 
kingknownto him the mysteries of His wisdom. 
On leaving the tent, Moses was wont to as- 
semble the people and publish the orders of the 
Almighty, whilst Josue remained in the taber- 
nacle prostrated in the presence of the Lord. 
(Exod. xxxiii.) 

From the beginning, God had manifested 
Himself to the Hebrews, as their king, under 
the form of a pillar of cloud ; He was in their 
camp, marching before them, or stopping when 



120 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS, 



they should stop ; but Israel had sinned, and He 
would no longer dwell amongst them. Alas! how 
many are there who banish God from their hearts 
and who force Him to seek abode elsewhere ! 

VI. 

THE NAME OF JEHOVAH. 

Moses had broken the tables of the law, 
thinking they were useless to a people who 
abandoned themselves to idolatry, but the 
holy leader obtained their pardon. " Prepare 
yourself to return to the mountain," said the 
Lord to Moses ; "cut and polish two tables of 
stone, alike to those which you broke on seeing 
the prevaricators of Israel. Upon them I shall 
engrave the same laws as the first, and I shall 
make known to you my will. Nobody shall ac- 
company you ; I forbid any man or beast to ap- 
pear upon the mountain. To-morrow, at dawn 
of day, be in readiness, ascend the mountain 
of Sinai, and I then shall communicate with 
you." 

Nothing could be more pleasing to Moses 
than those commandments, and he executed 
them with heartfelt joy. He sallied forth then 
early in the morning, with the tables of stone 
which he had prepared for the laws of God. 



THE NAME OP JEHOVAH. 121 

The Most High descended on the mountain, 
veiled in a dark cloud, and whilst Moses stood 
in prayer, he passed with his glory and pro- 
nounced His greatness : " The Lord, the Lord 
God Almighty, compassionate and merciful, slow 
to be angered, full of goodness and truth itself, 
and showing mercy to thousands of generations, 
who remits sin, iniquity, and crime, and before 
whom no one is innocent in himself." Seized 
with fear, Moses fell prostrate on the ground, 
and exclaimed : " Lord, my God, if I have found 
grace in your eyes, remain in our midst and 
guide us, for this people is obstinate and hard to 
lead. Forget my iniquities, and think, O think 
that you have chosen us as your inheritance." 
The Lord manifested Himself to Moses ac- 
cording to this desire : " I shall make an alli- 
ance with this people," said the Lord, " and I 
shall operate in their behalf wonders, such as no 
nation has ever before witnessed. Your people, 
in favor of whom I shall perform these miracles, 
shall be astonished at their increase and at their 
strength ; but at least, let me find them grateful 
and obedient. On their arrival there, I shall 
destroy the idolatrous nations now occupying 
those fertile regions which I have promised to 
your fathers; but let the Israelites beware of 
associating themselves with those people ; let 
11 



122 CHILDEEjS" of the pateiaechs. 



them throw down their altars, break their idols, 
and burn down their sacrilegious woods ; let 
not the slightest vestige remain thereof, for 
they would soon adore the gods of those na- 
tion^. I am the only God, strong and jealous." 

The Lord gave likewise to Moses, a great num- 
ber of precepts for the government of the peo- 
ple, and He commanded him to write them down. 
The Lord engraved with His own hand the ten 
fundamental precepts of the law. (Exod. xxxiv.) 

The Lord calls himself God, jealous — because 
He is the spouse of our souls and that He loves 
them infinitely. What has He not done for our 
souls at all times? And is it not a dreadful 
ingratitude of the spouse of the divinity, when 
she abandons the Lord, who is so worthy, so 
noble, so amiable, when she prostitutes herself 
to vile idols ! We comprehend why God is 
jealous, and why He abhors a rival. 



RADIAXT APPEARANCE OF MOSES. 123 
I 



vn. 

RADIANT APPEARANCE OF THE 
HOLY LEGISLATOR. 

Whei Moses had spent forty days and forty 
nights as before, on the mountain, without eat- 
ing and without drinking, and in close commu- 
nication with God, he received order to return 
to the people. He descended, therefore, the 
heights, and held in his hands the tables of the 
law, in order to assure the people, by this sig- 
nal, of the renewal of the alliance with God. 
But there was another sign, of which the holy 
legislator was not aware, and which struck the 
Israelites with fear to approach his person. In 
consequence of the intimate communications 
which he held with the Divine Majesty, there 
shone from his forehead two rays resplendent 
with light, and Aaron and the elders as they 
approached his presence, were seized with a 
profound fear. Moses, on the other hand, ig- 
noring the cause of their fear, called Aaron 
and the princes of the tribes, and reassured 
them by protesting that he brought but 
words of peace. Meantime they drew near 
him, and Moses was in the midst of the chil- 
dren of Israel. He then related to them the re- 



124 



CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



newal of the alliance which they had so un- 
gratefully violated; he spoke to them of the 
laws imposed upon them, and the engagements 
which he had taken in their name. It took him 
several days to relate all the orders and the 
laws of the Lord, and others concerning civil 
government. Hence he did not appear in their 
presence, without covering his face with a veil, 
which he cast aside whenever he prayed in the 
tabernacle. Mysterious veil, which has passed 
from Moses into the hearts and minds of some 
of his children ! it conceals from thorn the won- 
ders announced by Moses, and they believe not 
in the events of salvation, accomplished under 
their eyes and predicted by their prophets. 
(Exod. xxxiv.) We are not blindfolded, like 
the unbelieving Jews ; and u we see," says St. 
Paul, " the glory of the Lord as in a mirror." 
(2 Cor. iii.) Let us manifest our belief by the 
observation of his precepts — not by force or 
terror, but by love ; we are his chosen people, 
we are the true children of Abraham. 



SUPERFLUOUS OFFERINGS. 



125 



LAWS RELATING TO PUBLIC WORSHIP. 
I. 

SUPERFLUOUS OFFERINGS. 

The holy legislator promptly executed the 
commands of the Lord. He assembled the peo- 
ple and informed them of the orders which he 
had received relating to the construction of the 
tabernacle, the ark, the mercy-seat, the altar of 
perfumes, the altar of holocausts, the duties of 
the priests and Leyites, etc. ; in a word, til ser- 
vice relating to the worship of the Lord, and 
to the ceremonies of religion. He likewise in- 
formed them of the taking of the census of the 
people, and of exacting from all Israelites aged 
twenty-one and over that age, half a shekel, 
(about thirty cents.) There were then 603,550 
persons liable to this contribution. He advised 
them besides to offer precious goods, jewels 
and stuffs, for the aid and execution of many 
great works. Scarcely had he spoken, when 
they all rushed to their tents to furnish offer- 
ings to the Lord. A generous rivalry sprung 
up among them, and they disputed with each 
other the honor of manifesting their generosity. 
11* 



126 CHILDBED OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



Gold necklaces, ear-rings, bracelets, rings, pre- 
cious stuffs, and costly garments were strewn at 
the feet of Moses. Golden rases, silver urns, 
brass, precious woods, violet, purple, and scar- 
let dyed, leathers of the finest quality and 
of the most dazzling hues, were presented to 
the Lord. Those women who were the most 
skilful at spinning fine wools and dressed flax, 
eagerly offered the produce of their ingenuity; 
the principal chiefs of families gave precious 
stones, oils, and aromatics for divine worship. 
Those who were appointed to receive the 
offerings, were so beset by the multitudes of 
donoys, that they thought it time to put a stop 
to their liberality. Therefore, Moses published 
by a herald, that henceforth nothing more should 
be brought for the works of the sanctuary, that 
they had now more than enough of all sorts of 
materials. (Exod. xxxv., xxxvi.) 

How beautiful to see the Hebrew people 
strip themselves of all they have most precious 
to contribute to the glory of divine worship. 
Our fathers in faith have manifested no less 
generosity : they have erected those superb 
temples which hand down to posterity the tes- 
timony of their zeal and of their love. If we 
do not imitate them in those grand under- 
takings, let us at least offer Him our hearts, 



THE TABEEXACLE. 



127 



with generosity and without reserve. To God, 
this will be a temple of infinite price. 

II. 

THE TABERNACLE. 

God Himself had given Moses the plan of 
those works, and had chosen the workmen for 
them. " Listen," said Moses to the Israelites, 
" to the orders of God, for He has said : 6 1 
have called Beseleel ; I have communicated to 
him my Spirit ; I have filled him with wisdom, 
skill, and ingenuity to invent, and to execute 
all kinds of works in gold, silver, and brass, for 
the cutting and sculpturing of stones, for carv- 
ing and joining. I have associated with him 
Ooliab, to whom I have given the same 
talents. 5 n 

Under the guidance of these two distin- 
guished men, the workmen wrought wonders. 
The first structure was the Tabernacle. It 
was made of setim-wood boards, lamellated 
with plates of gold ; forty-eight of these boards 
were placed, each one, upon two b:ises of sil- 
ver, fastened one into the other by five bars of 
setim-wood, covered with gold, and passed 
through golden rings, which encompassed 
three sides of the building, namely : twenty 



128 CHILDBED OF THE PATRIARCHS. 

boards on the east side, twenty on the south, 
and eight on the west. Each of these boards 
was of ten cubits in length, and one and a 
half in breadth. The whole space was divided 
into two parts by a beautiful veil, embroidered 
in purple, hyacinth, and scarlet colors, and 
studded with che rubs. This veil hung, upon two 
gold rings, to four pillars of setim-wood, over- 
laid with gold, and standing upon silver bases. 
Tinder a sumptuous drapery, or in that part of 
the Tabernacle called the Holy of Holies, was 
placed the Ark of the Covenant. Outside of 
this drapery was that place called Holy, wherein 
were deposited the table of the bread of propo- 
sition, the altar of perfumes, and the golden 
candlestick. The east entrance of the whole 
edifice was veiled by a drapery similar to the 
first, and suspended by rings over five pillars, 
like those of the exterior ; but instead of their 
bases being of silver, they were of bronze. 

The tent which covered the whole edifice 
was composed of ten curtains of fine linen, 
hyacinth, purple, and crimson tinted, and richly 
and elaborately wrought. Each one of these 
curtains w T as twenty-eight cubits long, and 
four wide, joined together by fifty hyacinth- 
colored cords, and held up by golden rings. 
Another rich mohair covering was placed over 



THE TABERNACLE . 



129 



the former, so as to preserve it ; and this second 
covering had two others — the one of a red, the 
other of a blue-colored sheepskin. 

The Tabernacle was situated in the centre of 
a court, or enclosure of one hundred cu- 
bits long, and fifty wide, enclosed, in its length 
from north to south, by twenty columns, the 
shafts of which were covered, from distance to 
distance, by silver rings, their capitals being 
of silver, whilst their bases were of brass. 
These columns supported fine linen curtains, 
which covered a space of a hundred cubits. 
At the east and at the west, where the width 
was but fifty cubits, there were ten pillars 
shrouded with draperies ; but they had reserved 
an entrance of twenty cubits, enclosed by four 
pillars, more ornate than the others, and hold- 
ing a veil more beautifully worked than those 
of the before-mentioned, and in this entrance 
was placed the altar of the holocausts, the 
vases for th e purifications, and all other things 
used in the sacrifices. Such was the construc- 
tion of the Tabernacle, which was a movable 
temple for the holy ceremonies, until the erec- 
tion of the Temple of Jerusalem, built by 
Solomon, 

All the tents of Israel were placed at a cer- 
tain distance from this entrance and from the 



CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 130 



Tabernacle. Thus did God dwell among the 
Israelites. (Exod. xxxvi.) 

The drapery on which were embroidered the 
cherubs, and which separated the Holy of 
Holies from the holy place, recalled to the 
minds of the Israelites the cherub which was 
placed at the entrance of the terrestrial Para- 
dise, and. which guarded it. But when our 
Lord expired on the cross, the veil was rent, in 
order to make us understand that by His death 
He annihilated the warrant of our condemna- 
tion, and opened for us, by shedding His blood, 
the gates of the Eternal Tabernacle. 

m. 

THE ARK. 

Whex Beseleel had completed the Taber- 
nacle, according to the rules set down by the 
Lord, he commenced the construction of the 
Ark. It was two cubits and a half long, and 
one and a half high. Destined to contain the 
sacred monument of the covenant, it was to be 
composed of incorruptible wood, of the precious 
wood of Setim, lined inside and outside with the 
finest and purest of gold, and ornamented all 
around with a garland of pure gold. It was 
closed with a golden cover, with a border form- 



THE AEK. 



131 



ing a golden wreath. This cover was called 
Oracle, or Mercy-Seat ; because thence God 
gave His oracles to the Hebrews, when showing 
Himself favorable to them, and thence he re- 
ceived their prayers, or made peace with them. 
Upon this table, or Mercy-Seat, were two 
cherubim of massive and wrought gold ; they 
spread their wings over the Ark, as if to serve 
as a throne to the majesty and to the holiness 
of God. Hence Scripture represents, frequently, 
God resting on the wings of cherubim. 

As this Ark was to be movable, four large 
gold rings were fastened to the four corners, 
and they were to encircle setim-wood levers 
covered with gold. This was destined to hold 
the Tables of the Law ; by reason of which, it 
was called Ark of the Covenant. A measure of 
manna was to be enclosed therein. This manna 
was placed in a golden vase, in memory of the 
miracle of this food ; later, the rod of Aaron 
was also deposited therein. The Ark was to be 
left in the first part of the Tabernacle, the Holy 
of Holies ; there, the high-priest alone, once 
a year, after having immolated a heifer in ex- 
piation of his own sins, penetrated, trembling 
with humility, and offered the perfumes and the 
blood of the victim. (Exod. xxxvii.) 

The Ark was held in great honor amongst the 



132 CHILDBED OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



Hebrews. It was, however, nothing in compari- 
son to our churches : it was only the shrine of 
souvenirs, of signs or of figures ; but our taber- 
nacles contain the reality, the ethane manna, the 
bread of angels, Jesus Christ Himself — the true 
food of our souls. Let us resemble this ancient 
ark of incorruptible wood, covered on the inside 
and on the outside with gold ; that is to say, ex- 
empt from sin and adorned with virtues, and 
spreading around the holiness of Jesus Christ. 
Then God, who rests upon the cherubs, dwells 
in our souls, and the angels protect us with their 
wings. O you who are truly Christians, you in- 
deed are living tabernacles ! 

IV. 

THE BREAD OF PROPOSITION". 

Moses commanded also the erection of the 
altar of the bread of proposition. It was made 
of setim-wood covered over with pure gold, and 
enriched with a double edge of gold elaborately 
carved ; it required four gold rings and twelve 
levers of setim-wood to move it ; this table was 
to be placed before the Ark, in the Holy of 
Holies, but not in the same part of the tabernacle. 
It was to hold the bread of proposition, which 
was made of the finest flour mixed with olive 



THE BEE AD OF PROPOSITION. 



133 



oil. There were twelve of them, placed six by 
six, and one upon the other, on either side of the 
table ; they were renewed every Sabbath day 
in the presence of the Lord. The priests only 
had the prerogative to consume them, and they 
were to eat them in the Holy place as a sacred 
thing. God commanded that small basins of 
gold should be made to contain them, and others 
to serve as lids. He desired also that a vase 
filled with fine incense should be placed upon 
each of the piles, in order that the smoke thereof 
should ascend towards heaven, and that this 
bread would be thus consecrated to God, 
(Exod. xxxvii.) 

TTe have the true bread of proposition, the 
Holy Eucharist^ which is continually offered to 
God. This heavenly bread is not like the bread 
of proposition consecrated to priests only, it is 
for all the faithful, so that being united in heart 
and soul and animated by the same faith, the 
same hope, all form the same body, and as the 
same bread placed upon the altar of charity, in 
the presence of God, we consecrate ourselves to 
His glory. 

12* 



134 CHILDEEX OF THE PATKIAECHS. 



V. 

THE GOLDEX CANDLESTICK. 

That which was most brilliant in the taberna- 
cle was the golden candlestick : it had seven 
branches, six of which sprung from the stem 
which, in itself, formed the seventh. This 
candlestick was magnificent, and admirably 
wrought. The branches were figured with cups 
and lilies, which were interlaced one with 
another with indescribable art. Above these 
seven branches, were seven lamps made of 
massive and wrought gold, and in which burned 
the purest olive-oil. All was dazzling with gold, 
even the snuffers and the extinguishers and 
other instruments serving to keep the wicks in 
repair. The high-priest himself had the care and 
the lighting of those lamps, in order that they 
should burn night and day in the tabernacle, 
the children of Israel being charged to supply 
the necessary quantity of oil. (Exod. xxxvii ) 

In imitation of the Jews, a lamp burns per- 
petually in our churches, in the presence of Jesus 
Christ, so as to recall to our minds that He has 
loved us forever. 



ALTAR OF IXCEXSE, ETC. 



135 



VI. 

THE ALTAR OF INCENSE AND THE 
ALTAR OF HOLOCAUSTS. 

By order of God, Moses commanded the erec- 
tion of the altar of incense, it was a golden 
altar destined to hold the exquisite incense 
which should be offered to the Lord twice a 
day. This altar was hollow, and it was covered 
with a golden grating, upon which were placed 
the perfumes. Besides its four golden rings and 
its bars of setim-wood, there were placed on 
the four corners, four little pyramids of gold, 
which the high-priest should sprinkle, once a 
year, with the blood of the victim. This altar 
was placed in that part of the tabernacle called 
the Holy, between the table of the bread of pro- 
position and the golden candlestick. 

Those perfumes figure the ardor and charity 
of fervent souls, whose prayers ascend to Heaven 
to the throne of the Most High. O Christians ! 
how profoundly does God desire to see your 
hearts inflamed with the fire of holy love ! 

And finally, Moses ordered the erection of 
the altar of holocausts, where a perpetual fire 
should burn and where victims should be con- 
sumed. It was square, of setim-woocl, and 



136 



CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



lamellated with thick bronze. In the centre 
was placed a bronze grating, under which rose 
a fire. This altar was movable, because it 
should be, like the rest, easy for the people to 
transport in their different encampments. It 
had its metal rings, and its levers of setim, cov- 
ered with bronze plates, and was placed in the 
entrance before the tabernacle. 

This altar of victims represents the outward 
actions of penance, whereby the contrite sinner 
immolates himself, as it were, to God, like the 
holocausts of the old law. 

Between this altar and the tabernacle, there 
was a bronze basin, filled with water wherein 
the priests should wash their hands and feet 
before officiating at the altar. (Exod. xxxvii. 
xxxviii.) 

This basin is the figure of penance, where 
the sinner must cleanse himself of his sins before 
being admitted to participate at the holy sacra- 
ments. 

VII. 

SACERDOTAL ROBES. 

By order of the Lord, Moses chose Aaron as the 
high-priest or the minister of Religion. ISTadab 
ATbiu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, his four sons, were 
also consecrated priests of the living God, so as 



SACEEDOTAL ROBES. 



137 



to exercise, under the directions of their father, 
the sacerdotal functions. Amongst them, the 
sovereign pontiff should henceforth be selected, 
and none but the descendants of Aaron could 
be chosen for priests. 

The robes of the sovereign pontiff were of 
great magnificence, and full of mystic character. 
Besides the under vestments which every priest 
in the exercise of holy functions should have 
upon pain of death ; he should also wear a robe 
of fine linen resembling the alb of the present 
time. It was fastened by a girdle of many colors 
that encircled the waist twice, and hung down 
to his feet, but when officiating, the high-priest 
threw it over his shoulder. The pontiff's coat, 
and that of the priest were the same ; but the 
high-priest had another robe of hyacinth color, 
or light blue, and rather shorter than the out- 
side tunic. Small figures of pomegranates were 
attached to its border, and small bells of gold 
were placed in between two of these pome- 
granates ; they were seventy-two in number, and 
their sound forewarned the people of the pres- 
ence of the pontiff in the tabernacle. The 
same tunic was again covered with a rich orna- 
ment called an ephod. It was a golden tissue 
embroidered in purple, hyacinth, and scarlet 
colors, fastened on the shoulder by a golden 
12* 



138 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIAECHS. 



clasp, in which were set two onyx stones en- 
graved with the names of the twelve tribes of 
Israel, six upon one stone, and six upon the 
other. The ephod was covered with a double 
tissue of gold, embroidered like the ephod ; 
it was the measure of a span, eight inches long, 
by eight wide, and on which were set in 
gold three by three, and in four lines, twelve 
precious stones, each one engraved with one of 
the names of the twelve sons of Jacob ; in the 
centre of these stones were written upon a 
small gold plate the words — Doctrine and 
Truth. It was called the breast-plate of judg- 
ment ; it was attached to the ephod by chains 
and clasps of gold, and by a violet ribbon 
which was passed through the rings of the 
ephod. 

This ornament was indispensable to the high- 
priest, who could not enter into the tabernacle 
to consult the Lord, offer the prayers or the 
sacrifices of the nation, intercede for his breth- 
ren, expound the holy law, or perform the 
slightest holy functions, without wearing the 
ephod and the breast-plate. 

For head-dress, the high-priest wore, like the 
other priests, a tiara of Jbyssus and fine linen ; 
the only difference existing was that that of 
the pontiff was ornamented with a plate of pure 



SOLEMN CONSECEATIOK. 139 



gold engraved with the words : Holy to the 
Lord. This plate was attached to the tiara 
by a violet ribbon, and it fell over the fore- 
head of the high -priest. (Exod. xxxvii., xxxix.) 

Those sacerdotal robes were replete with 
meaning : the pure bright gold, the dazzling 
colors, signify the purity and the' lustre of vir- 
tues which should adorn the life of ministers of 
God ; the diminutive bells, the gentle soothing 
words which should flow from their lips, when 
announcing the word of God; this breast-plate 
with the words Doctrine and Truth, the spirit- 
ual food of the people of Israel. 

VIII. 

SOLEMN CONSECRATION. 

The orders of the Lord were promptly exe- 
cuted, and when the Israelites were informed 
of the day of the consecration, they assembled 
in crowds for the solemnity. On the first day of 
| the first month of the second year, Moses took 
the balm that he had prepared by order of the 
Lord, and with it he consecrated the tabernacle, 
the ark of the covenant, the table of the tread 
of proposition, the golden candlestick, and the 
altar of perfumes. When this solemn ceremony 
was over, the Lord took, as it were, possession 



140 CHILDREN" OF THE PATRIARCHS, 

of the shrine which had been consecrated to 
Him. The cloud which had guided the He- 
brews now abandoned the tent or former taber- 
nacle, and approaching the new, it enveloped it 
with the glory of God. The obscurity which 
for a few moments it had spread around the 
camp, seized the Israelites with a religious fear, 
and Moses himself -could not penetrate into the 
presence of God; however, by degrees, this 
darkness vanished, and it assumed once more 
the form of a pillar. Encouraged by those 
remarkable signs, Moses consecrated the minis- 
ters. The largest veil of the tabernacle was 
drawn aside, affording a view of the court 
and the interesting spectacle, which was in 
preparation, to the people ; but the princes of 
the tribes, the elders, and the heads of the prin 
cipal families were allowed to enter the enclo- 
sure, in order that they might represent the 
different corps of the nation. Order being es- 
tablished, Moses had the sacerdotal robes 
brought, the oil or balm, the unleavened bread, 
and even the victims were before him. Then 
Aaron and his four sons presented themselves, 
and being placed on either side of Moses, the 
latter spoke to the people as follows: "My 
brethren, here are these whom the Lord has 
chosen, Aaron shall be your pontiff; his four 



SOLEMN CONSECRATION. 



141 



sons shall be the ministers of the altars and the 
depositaries of your offerings." He then pro- 
ceeded with the ceremony. He purified them 
in the golden basin, and put on their robes ; he 
gave the iDontiff the tunic and the sash, and the 
rich tunic of violet, whence hung the pome- 
granates, and the golden bells ; he fastened 
upon this double tunic the ephod and the 
breast-plate, set with precious stones ; he also 
gave him the tiara, whilst his four sons had plain 
tunics of fine linen, with girdles and mitres, the 
other ornaments being reserved to the high 
priest only. Clad with those august robes, the 
pontiff and the priests presented themselves to 
receive public consecration. Moses took the 
balm of the unctions, wherewith he made seven 
aspersions upon the altar of the holocausts, 
and upon all the utensils which served for the 
sacrifices. As for Aaron and his sons, Moses 
poured upon their heads the balm of sanctifi- 
cation, with which he likewise anointed their 
hands. 

In conclusion, he immolated the sacrifices, 
and Aaron and his sons placed their hands upon 
the heads of the different victims which were 
slaughtered, immolated, and finally burned 
upon the altar. Moses dipped his finger in 
the blood of the victims, so as to anoint the 



142 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 

new priests with it. He consecrated their 
garments with the balm whereby he sprinkled 
them. This ceremony lasted seven days, during 
which time the priests were forbidden to leave 
the court ; they were equally obliged to eat 
the flesh of the victims and the unleavened 
bread that was presented to the Lord during 
the ceremony of the consecration. 

On the eighth day, the high-priest and his sons 
entered upon their functions, and they offered 
the victims with all the solemnity prescribed by 
the law. Moses and Aaron entered the sane- 
tuary to offer the victims of the children ot 
Israel* hence they appeared in the court, 
and blessed the multitude assembled. Mean- 
while, a fire lighted by the breath of God, 
kindled up upon the altar, and consumed the 
holocausts. This miracle profoundly impressed 
the Israelites, and they prostrated themselves 
to adore the majesty of the Master whom they 
had the honor to serve. (Exod. xxxix.) 

As in the ancient law, our Christian churches 
bless and consecrate all things relating to divine 
worship — by unctions, by aspersions, by pray- 
ers, and by the august sacrifice of Jesus Christ 
Himself. Let us honor all holy things, all that 
is consecrated to the God whom we adore* 



SACKED MINISTRY. 



143 



IX. 

SACRED MINISTRY. 

The whole tribe of Levi was consecrated to 
the service of the Lord, but in a different man- 
ner. Aaron and his sons, Naclab, Abiu, Eleazar, 
and Itharnar, were charged with the holy func- 
tions, the greatest of which was the offering of 
the sacrifices. This was accomplished in the 
following manner : — He who offered a sacrifice 
to God, brought the victim before the altar of 
the holocausts, and placed his hand upon its 
head. This victim was a domestic animal, and 
one that the Jews could eat. It should be spot- 
less. When it was slaughtered, the priests re- 
ceived its blood in a basin, and sprinkled it up- 
on the altar : then it was stripped and burned, 
wholly, or in part, according to the sacrifice. 
There were three kinds of sacrifices. First, the 
holocaust^ which was offered to God to render 
homage to His infinite majesty; this is why the 
victim was entirely consumed by fire. The 
peace offering was offered, to give thanks to 
God, or to implore Him for some particular 
grace. The fat and the loins of the victim 
were burned, the breast and the right shoulder 
were for the priest, the remainder belonged to 



144 CHILDREN OE THE PATRIARCHS. 

him who furnished the animal. The propitia- 
tory sacrifices were offered to God in expiation 
of sins committed. In this sacrifice, the priest 
dipped his ringer into the blood of the victim, 
and sprinkled the altar therewith ; its flesh be- 
longed to the priest, and it should be eaten in 
the court. The priests were charged with 
all services relating to the worship of. God; 
night and morning the lamps were filled with 
oil, and perfumes were burned on the altar of 
gold. During the journeys of the Israelites in 
the wilderness, and when the pillar would give 
the signal to continue their march, the taber- 
nacle was taken asunder, and then erected 
anew when they halted. As the whole tribe 
of Levi was consecrated to the service of God y 
some of them had charge to guard the gates of 
the sanctuary, to play upon instruments, to 
sing hymns in honor of the God of Israel ; to 
receive the victims and the offerings, to carry 
water for the large basin, and wood for the 
altar of the holocausts; they were under the 
command of the high priest, as likewise those 
enjoying the sacerdotal honors. (Levit. x.) 

The frequent sacrifices of the Jews, figure the 
great sacrifice of the cross, which rendered an 
infinite homage to the sovereign majesty of 
God. Let us give Him thanks worthy of His 



S OLEICS" FEASTS. 



145 



goodness ! Let us pray for abundant graces — 
for ourselves and for all humanity ! 

Jesus Christ was immolated upon a cross for 
us ; and for the love of us He perpetuates this 
ineffable sacrifice. 

X. 

SOLEMN FEASTS. 

Besides the Sabbath, and the solemnity of 
the first day of each month, the Israelites had 
several other feasts which they celebrated 
during the course of the year. The principal 
were these : The Pasch, the Pentecost,, and the 
Feast of the Tabernacles. The Pasch was cele- 
brated on the fourteenth day of the first month, 
by the sacrifice of a lamb in each family. It 
lasted a week; during which time the un- 
leavened bread was eaten. This feast was in- 
stituted in remembrance of the going out of 
Egypt. The Pentecost was celebrated fifty 
days after the Pasch, as a memorial of the day 
on which God had given the law on Mount 
Sinai. The Feast of the Tabernacles took 
place in the seventh month. The Israelites 
passed the seven days of this feast under tents, 
in remembrance of the days that their fathers 
sojourned in the wilderness, before they entered 
13 



146 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



the promised land. Then the feast of the Sab- 
bath, or seventh day of each week, that was to 
be sanctified by religious exercises in remem- 
brance of the mysterious repose of the Lord 
after the creation of the world. ' 



TERRIBLE SANCTION OF THE LAW. 
I. 

STRANGE FIRE. 

Soon God made known with what exactitude 
He desired the discharge of the duties of divine 
worship. The law commanded that a fire should 
burn continually upon the altar, and that the 
priests should keep it in by putting wood on, 
morning and night. This was the holy fire 
used for the incensing. However, near eve- 
ning, when the lamps were lighted, and the 
incense was burned upon the altar of perfumes, 
the two sons of Aaron, ISTadab and Abiu, 
hastened to acquit themselves of this duty; 
but having neglected to take the sacred fire of 
the Lord, at the altar of the holocausts, they 
filled their censers with a profane and strange 
fire, and placed them in the sanctuary. The 



STRANGE FIRE. 



147 



new priests were instantly enveloped with a 
whirlwind of fire, which consumed them inter- 
nally, without changing their outward appear- 
ance, and they lay stretched in death at the 
foot of the Holy of Holies. After this terri- 
ble chastisement, Moses impressed upon the 
minds of the priests the sanctity of their min- 
istry. " Here is," said he to his brother Aaron, 
" what the Lord has announced : c Those who 
approach me shall pay homage to my sanctity, 
and they shall glorify me in the presence of 
all the people.' " At these words, Aaron had to 
check his paternal feelings, and Moses con- 
tinned to speak to him and to his sons, Eleazar 
and Ithamar : " God does not condemn the 
feelings of your heart," said he, "but the loud 
lamentations you might manifest in the depth 
of your grief. Do not, therefore, uncover your 
head, nor tear your garments, nor leave the 
tabernacle, but remain unflinchingly in the exer- 
cise of your duties, upon pain of death. Let 
the Levites and the Israelites deplore this har- 
rowing occurrence, which has been a necessary 
example for the people." 

The bodies of the transgressors were carried 
out of the camp ; they were buried, and 
abundant tears were shed over their graves. 

Moses forbade the priests to drink anyinebri- 



148 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIAE OH S • 

ating beverages before entering the tabernacle, 
for fear of being struck with death. (Levit. x.) 

God inflicted a dreadful punishment upon 
Nadab and Abiu for having used strange fire. 
This shows us the horror He has of those who 
approach the sacraments with a heart burning 
with other love than that kindled by the Holy 
Ghost. 

II. 

A BLASPHEMER. 

After God had given this striking example 
of severity, He again manifested His anger 
against the son of a poor Hebrew woman. 
This young man, who had an Egyptian father, 
was quarrelling with an Israelite. In the beat 
of the dispute, he forgot himself so far as to 
blaspheme and curse the holy name of God — 
the ineffable name of Jehovah, which be was not 
allowed to pronounce. All those who heard 
him were deeply afflicted, and, seizing hold of 
him, they brought him before Moses. This 
holy man consulted the Lord thereupon, and 
the Lord said : " Let him be taken out of the 
camp, and be stoned to death. All those who 
shall curse my holy name shall thus perish, un- 
der the eyes of the multitude — Israelite or 



CONTEMNER OF THE SABBATH. 149 



Egyptian, he must be punished." Moses in- 
formed the people of this supreme sentence, 
and the young man was stoned to death. 
(Levit. xxiv.) 

Ah ! if this punishment were inflicted upon 
all those who blaspheme the holy name of God ? 
what numberless monuments would mark the 
just vengeance of our Divine Master ! But, He 
who exists from eternity is patient ; He waits, 
He invites ; and if the sinner persist in his 
obstinacy, he will not escape the dreadful justice 
of God. 

in. 

COXTEMXER OF THE SABBATH. 

Some time afterwards, an Israelite was found 
gathering wood on the Sabbath day, and the 
people fearing that such a bold transgression of 
the law might fall upon themselves, they in- 
stantly carried him before Moses and the 
elders, and they demanded punishment for the 
prevaricator. But the benign nature of the 
patriarch refused to pronounce a sentence, with- 
out again consulting the Lord.* "Let him be 
stoned to death," said the Lord, and the people 
shall witness the effects of my just anger." Ac- 
cordingly, the offender was taken out of the 
13* 



150 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



camp, and he perished under an over "whelming 
hail of stones, because he had sinned by pride, 
and had scorned the word of God by disobeying 
His orders. (Numb, xv.) 

By this example, let us learn to respect the 
Sabbath day. Alas ! how many infractions 
are there of this holy law ! TThat servile 
works are performed in contempt of our holy 
religion! and that which is a thousand times 
more criminal, there are persons who spend the 
Lord's day in all sorts of profane amusements. 
Ah ! if God be silent — if we do not hear Him 
pronounce the terrible sentence : 4; Let him die ! 
let him be smitten with stones !" this sentence 
exists in reality, and shall be his punishment 
sooner or later. Yes, all contemners of the 
Sabbath and other holy days should be pun- 
ished; they should be cast into eternal suffer- 
ing ! Ah ! let us remain faithful to the Lord, 
and let us pray that we may not follow the 
example of those unfortunate transgressors of 
his law. 



THE 

CHILDREN OF THE PATRIB1CHS 

WANDERING EST THE WILDERNESS. 



REMEMBRANCE OF THE FLESH POTS 
OF EGYPT. 
I. 

THE OEGAXIZATTOX OF A CAMP. 

Before Jesus Christ. 1644. 
Whex the signal of the departure was given? 
the Israelites marched in four lines, forming 
three corps of four tribes, that followed at 
short intervals. This numerous army was al- 
ways in readiness to face the enemy, at what- 
ever side they were attacked. During the 
march, the women, the children, the aged, the 
slaves, the chariots, the sheep, and the oxen, 
were placed in the centre. Each tribe had its 
flag ; but the principal tribe of the four large 
corps had a distinct standard, and the three 
tribes that were adjoined to it followed its 
movements. The most powerful of all, that of 



152 CIULDREX OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



Judah, whose descendants were destined to 
give birth to the Messiah, held the most honored 
rank amongst them. That of Issachar and 
Zabnlon followed ; then came Reuben, the old- 
est patriarch, who followed in the footsteps of 
Judah. Simeon and Gad were there; then 
Ephraim, Manasses, and Benjamin. Last came 
the tribes of Dan and Aser, and that of Xeph- 
tali, which formed the fourth great corps, and 
which closed the march. Between each tribe 
there was a large space, by means of which the 
movement of this immense multitude was 
accomplished in the most perfect order. 

To avoid confusion, Moses had trumpets made, 
and their use was reserved to the priests only 
On the point of departure, the priests sounded 
their trumpets, and the tribe of Judah commenced 
the march. When the corps rose to place itself 
on the first pavilion, Moses approached the ark 
and pronounced those words : " Rise, O Lord, 
that oar enemies may be dispersed and that 
those who deny your holy name vanish in your 
presence." Then the ark, accompanied by 
Moses, the pontiff, and the priests, and followed 
by the tribe of Judah, placed itself at the head 
of Israel. At the second signal of the trumpet, 
the tribe of Reuben advanced ; at the third, that 
of Ephraim, then that of Dan and the Levites 



RENEWED MURMURS. 



153 



charged with every thing relating to public wor- 
ship, marched under the protection of the tribes. 
When the pillar of cloud stopped as a signal to 
encamp, Moses, who never abandoned the Ark, 
exclaimed: "Return, O Lord, unto your taber- 
nacles, and dwell in the midst of the multitudes 
and of the soldiers of Israel." Then the sanc- 
tuary and the court were erected forthwith; 
the ark was placed in the Holy of Holies ; the 
golden candlestick, the tables and the altar of 
perfumes, were placed in the sanctuary, and 
every thing was prepared for new sacrifices. 

Such was the grand march of the army of the 
people of God, offering a truly remarkable figure 
of the church militant. The most striking 
feature was that of the army of the Israelites, 
representing the cross, and that of their march- 
ing against their enemies under four banners. 
From this we may infer, that by the sign of the 
cross, that is to say Jesus Christ, we shall march 
boldly against our enemies, and we shall tri- 
umph over them. 

II. 

RENEWED MURMURS. 
The people of Israel had been a year encamp- 
ing in the wilderness, at the foot of Mount Sinai, 
when, at length, on the twentieth day of the 



154 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



second month of the second year, the pillar 
placed itself above the pavilions of the tribe of 
Judah. At the sound of the trumpet, each 
tribe prepared to depart ; the ark of the cove- 
nant, with the pillar, headed the multitude to 
lead the way, and all the people followed, form- 
ing the most beautiful, the most formidable 
spectacle that had ever been witnessed. It was 
an army of more than 600,000 combatants, with- 
out reckoning a people of 2,000,000 of women, 
children, old people, proselytes, and servants, 
all conducted by the Almighty, to conquer the 
beautiful land promised to their fathers, and to 
establish, on the ruins of the former inhabitants, 
their families, their religion, their empire. This 
grand design was about to be accomplished, 
they were on the point of entering this happy 
land, when their murmurs were the cause of 
their punishment. 

After three days' march in the desert, the 
Israelites were advancing near the term for 
which they so much desired ; they were shielded 
from the heat of the sun, by a thick and cooling 
cloud, and nourished by the manna which fol- 
lowed them ; the march was not forced^ it was 
interrupted by intervals of sleep and rest, and 
yet, ere the end of the third day, they loudly 
murmured. The army advanced, but they re- 



GUILTY REMIXISCEXCE. 



155 



mained behind as though they were exhausted 
with fatigue. The Lord was filled with anger, 
and He sent a fire from heaven that destroyed 
the murmurers. Terror spread throughout the 
army, and the Israelites, on beholding their 
brethren consumed by fire, rushed towards 
Moses in the greatest dismay. This holy man, 
prostrated himself before God, to whom he 
offered the prayers and the sorrow of the peo- 
ple, and immediately the fire disappeared in the 
bowels of the earth. Alas! this was but the 
beginning of their murmurs. (Xumb. xi.) 

After so many proofs of God's goodness, 
would it not seem impossible for the Israelites 
to renew their ingratitude and their revolt? 
But let us reflect upon our own weakness, the 
many resistances we have shown ; let us examine 
how many times we have remained faithfal to 
the pressing inspirations of grace, to the light 
of faith, and we shall learn to believe in the in- 
subordination and in the ingratitude of man. 

III. 

GUILTY KEMINISCEXCE. 

The Israelites continued their march the third 
day after their departure. Near night, the pil- 
lar gave the signal to encamp, but scarcely had 



156 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 

the tents been erected, than they again loudly 
murmured. The strangers and the slaves were 
the first to complain. They were seen lying at 
the entrance of their tents, lamenting and moan- 
ing upon their sad fate: "Alas!" said they, 
<; when shall we have meat and fish like that 
which we had in Egypt, and those delicious 
melon s,those cucumbers, and those onions which 
we had at discretion? Here we are in want of 
every thing, we lead a poor and miserable life in 
this desert, where we get nothing but manna, 
always manna !" The Israelites held the same 
language, and the Lord was filled with just 
wrath. The holy legislator was deeply touched 
at the sight of their tears, and on hearing them 
sigh and regret the meat and onions of Egypt, 
he became so afflicted that he exclaimed : " O 
Lord ! shall my sorrow be forever ? shall I for- 
ever carry the weight of the wickedness of this 
people ? They ask for meat, and where shall I 
find it to give them ? for on all sides they cry : 
' Give us meat instead of this manna that dis- 
gusts us.' No, O Lord, I can no longer support 
their murmurs, and their ingratitude overwhelms 
me. I pray you, therefore, to withdraw me 
from their midst, then, at least, I shall be de- 
livered from this torrent of evil which renders 
life odious to me." God is not offended at the 



GUILTY REMINISCENCE. 



frank and benign liberty with which His servants 
speak to Him, and the prayer of Moses was 
favorably heard. " Be not discouraged," said 
the Lord, to Moses, "for I am willing to afford 
you consolation. Assemble seventy of the 
elders of Israel- — those whom you know to be 
the masters and the doctors of your people. 
You will conduct them to the entrance of the 
tabernacle; there I shall communicate to them 
the spirit of my wisdom, so that they may share 
with you the weight of your aniicticn. As for 
the people, say to them : 4 Purify yourselves of 
your sins. To-morrow yon shall have the meat 
you desire, for I have heard you say : Who 
will give us meat for food ?' Well, then, you 
shall have meat not only for a day, but for a 
month." " What ! Lord," replied Moses, who 
was still confused and troubled, "there are 
600,000 fighting men, without reckoning women 
and children; we are in the midst of the desert, 
and yet, you say : £ I shall give them meat for 
a month;' all our oxen and sheep, all the fishes 
of the sea, would scarcely suffice for their con- 
sumption of the same." " And since when," 
said the Lord, " is the arm of the Lord weak 
and impotent ? Execute my orders, and you 
shall behold the accomplishment of my prom- 
ises." (Numb, xi.) 
14 



i. 



158 CHILDREN 0E THE PATRIARCHS. 



The greatest of all punishments inflicted upon 
gluttons and sensualists, is to abandon them en- 
tirely to their intemperance. The following 
chapter will give us an explanation of the above. 

IV. 

THE GRAVES OF LUST. 

At this gentle reproof, Moses returned to his 
duty, and he obeyed the Lord. He therefore 
assembled the seventy wise men as elders, 
whom God had named to him, and he con- 
ducted them to the entrance of the tabernacle. 
Then God descended in the midst of a cloud, 
and filled them with a spirit of wisdom, and 
they spake by inspiration. 

Two of those venerable men had not attended 
the summons of Moses ; and through modesty 
or fear, they were not, like the others, at the 
entrance of the tabernacle ; nevertheless, they 
spake as prophets, for the Spirit of God was in 
them. Moses was informed of the occurrence ; 
and Josue, who was zealously attached to the 
holy legislator, spoke to him of the impropriety 
of others usurping rights which should be re- 
served to the patriarch. " You are mistaken, 
Josue," replied Moses, quietly; " your zeal 
for me is at fault. Would to God that all the 



THE GKAVES OF LUST. 



159 



children of Israel were filled with the Spirit of 
the Lord, and that they spoke by inspiration !" 

When Moses entered the camp, accompanied 
by the elders, there blew, by order of God, a 
strong westerly wind, and there came from 
across the sea a large quantity of quails, that 
flew around at a height of two cubits from 
the ground, and at a short distance from the 
camp. They were in such a multitude, that 
they were comparable to the dust of the earth, 
and to the sand of the sea. The children of 
Israel were overjoyed at this novel sight, and 
they eagerly rushed from their tents to make 
an ample provision thereof, but soon had they 
to pay dear for their base gluttony ! The Israel- 
ites who had remained faithful, profited by those 
favors with gratitude, and the moderate use 
they made of them was pleasing to God ; not 
so with those murmurers who sinned by covet- 
ousness. They believed themselves in safety ; 
their provisions were not exhausted ; they con- 
tinued to eat on with greediness ; and whilst in 
the very act of doing so, God struck them in 
His anger and in their sin, and they died vic- 
tims to their intemperance. A day was spent 
burying the dead, and thence this place was 
called The Graves of Lust, because there the 
prevaricators died victims to their gluttony. 



160 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



The Israelites continued their march to Has- 
eroth, at which place they encamped. (Xumb. 

The wise man. nay, 1 may say the reasonable 
man, knows that gluttony is a vice that de- 
grades, that engenders serious diseases, cruel 
mnrmities, and that it frequently causes death. 
He is well aware, besides, that this passion of- 
fends God. and that he does not live for the 
pure pleasure of eating, but that he eats to 
live, and to serve God. men ! be conscious 
of your dignity, and be sober. You have been 
created to God's image ; why then allow your- 
selves to be overcome by those animal passions 
which degrade and kill you ? 

Y. 

A LEPROSY OF SEVEN DAYS. 

It seemed as though the servant of God 
should never be exempt from pain : for when 
the Israelites were quelled by severe punish- 
ment, he still found a source of trouble in his 
own family. On arriving at Haseroth. Mary 
and Aaron quarrelled with the legislator's wife, 
because the latter manifested a certain scorn 
towards them, on account of the extraordinary 
favors that Moses received from God ; on the 
other hand, she was insulted by 3Iary and 



A LEPEOST OF SEVEN DAYS. 



161 



Aaron, who gave her the appellations of stran- 
ger, beggar, Ethiopian ; they went so far as to 
upbraid the friend of God. " Is Moses,'* said 
they, " the only one to whom God communi- 
cates His will ? Has God not also spoken to 
us ?*' Moses, being the most gentle and the 
most patient of men, heeded them not, but the 
Lord took up his defence. Oh ! happy are the 
oppressed who trust in the Almighty ! Mary 
was the principal cause of this dispute ; she 
was older than her brothers, and God had 
honored her with certain communications, but 
the temptation was great, and her virtue weak ! 

Scarcely had they spoken, when God con- 
voked the family at the entrance of the taber- 
nacle. On reaching the entrance, God descend- 
ed in the midst of a majestic cloud that stopped 
at the sanctuary. He then called Aaron and 
Mary: "Hearken to me, 5 * said the Lord : "If 
there be prophets amongst you, it is merely by 
visions or by mysterious dreams that I speak to 
them; but Moses, my faithful servant, the min- 
ister of my house, the depositary of my secrets ; 
I speak to him without mystery, without figure, 
without enigma. What then is your audacity 
to compare yourselves to my servant, to Moses ? 
and you dare grieve him by your taunts !" 
Thus did the Lord speak, and He ranished ki 
1-i* 



162 CHILDREN" OF THE PATRIARCHS . 



the cloud. Meantime, Mary was covered with 
a leprosy for her murmurs against God. 
Knowing the fervor and the efficacy of the 
prayers of Moses, Aaron sought his presence, 
and he exclaimed : " My Lord, and my bro- 
ther, we have sinned ; we own our blindness, 
and we have been justly punished. Our sister 
is covered with a leprosy which gnaws into her 
very flesh. Can you remain unmoved at such 
a sight. Can you suffer her to be banished 
from society, and to die in abandonment ?" 
The holy patriarch was overwhelmed with 
grief. "My Cod," cried he, " restore our sis- 
ter to health, for we cherish her tenderly !" 
c< What !" answered the Lord ; " had she of- 
fended her father, should she not conceal her 
shame in an obscure retreat, at least during 
seven days. She has disrespected me by dis- 
respecting you ; she shall be banished from out 
of the camp, and after due repentance, she may 
return, and I shall forgive her." 

Such was the severity of God towards Mary ; 
withal, He cherished her ; He had endowed 
her with the gift of prophecy, and she was 
called prophetess, but she had offended the 
friend of God. Abiding by those commands, 
Mary retired from the camp, and, during the 
term of seven days, she was deprived of any 



TWELVE SPIES. 



163 



communication whatsoever with the Israelites. 
The dreadful disease wherewith Mary was 
afflicted in punishment of her murmurs, served 
as a cure to the pride of her heart. Such should 
be also the effects of the maladies which God 
may send us ; they should destroy our vices, 
our passions ; they should strengthen our vir- 
tues, and fortify us against danger. 



A MILLIOX OF MEN EXILED. 
I. 

TWELVE SPIES. 

Before Jesus Christ, 1645. 
"When the sister of Moses was perfectly 
restored to health, she re-entered the camp, and 
the pillar gave the signal to continue the march. 
It was the second day of the fourth month, and 
on the same day they arrived in Phnrau, and 
in view of the promised land. There they 
were to take definite measures against the 
people who were in possession of the country. 
By order of God, Moses chose twelve men who 
were the heads of each tribe ; amongst those 
were Caleb and Josue. " Go forth," said he 
to them, "respond to the wish of the nation, 
and enter the land of Canaan by the south; 



164 CHILDEEX OF THE PATEIAECHS. 



penetrate to the first mountains whence you 
can reconnoitre. Xote the strength of these 
people and their character; observe if they be 
warlike, brave, or cowardly, if the country be 
populous or thinly inhabited. You will also 
examine the nature of the land, if it be fertile 
or barren, if the city be encompassed by walls, 
or if it be open and without fortifications."' 

The spies departed, and when they arrived at 
Canaan, they explored the country, and they 
studied the character and the inclinations of 
the inhabitants. At length, after an absence 
of forty days, they returned to the camp. 
They brought back figs and pomegranates which 
they had gathered, and a bunch of grapes of 
such an enormous size, that it had to be 
carried on a lever by two men. The Is- 
raelites eagerly assembled around Moses and 
Aaron, to hear the account of the travellers. 
" The grapes," said the latter, " speak oiSthe 
great fertility of the soil, and you are not de- 
ceived in thinking that streams of milk and 
honey fiow therein/' So far, Moses was de- 
lighted, but what was his surprise when he 
heard them relate that the country was not 
at all what the Israelites supposed it to be. 

" It will not," added they, " be easy to con- 
quer a people so much superior to our own; 



TWELVE SPIES. 



165 



furthermore, this country has many well-built 
and strongly fortified cities, and they are in- 
habited by giants, whom it would be impossible 
to expel." This unfaithful account excited a 
general and violent sedition, so much so, that 
they wanted to stone Moses. However, two 
of the spies, named Caleb and Jo sue en- 
deavored to persuade the Israelites that they 
were deceived, and that their alarm was with- 
out foundation. " Let us march against this 
people, 5 ' exclaimed they ; " we shall force them 
to abandon those possessions which have been 
promised to us ; nothing is impossible when the 
Lord is with us." But their colleagues con- 
tradicted them by saying, u Caleb imposes on 
you, for how could we attack a people so much 
more powerful than our own? True, the 
country is fertile, but its inhabitants are de- 
• scendants of Enac ; they are of a gigantic 
stature, and their very aspect would strike 
terror into the soul of the most intrepid. We 
are mere locusts when compared to them, and 
they would crush us, and annihilate our race." 
The dismay of the children of Israel was now 
so great, that Moses thought it fit to defer any 
further communication with them till the day 
following. They dispersed accordingly, and 
Moses retired to his tent. (Xumb. xiii.) 



166 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



It is impossible to gain Heaven (the true 
promised land) -without opposing our enemies. 
Let us then arm ourselves with the buckler of 
faith, and attack them bravely. God fights for 
His faithful servants. 

n. 

A PEXITEXCE OF FORTY TEAES. 

The night was spent in tears and in lamen- 
tations, and early the next morning a dreadful 
confusion broke out in the camp. The people 
murmured loudly against Moses and Aaron, 
and they declared that they would sooner die 
than enter that promised land, wherein they 
might become the victims of a formidable 
enemy. " God," cried they, " who has promised 
us His protection, bears wrath against us, and 
we have been carried out of bondage but to* 
perish by the sword. Far better return to 
Egypt !" and they said one to the ether : " Let 
us choose a leader and go thither. 1 ' In this 
cruel dilemma, Moses endeavored to reassure 
them : " Why should you fear ?" said he to thein, 
" the Lord will fight for you : bear in mind the 
miracles He has operated in your favor when He 
delivered you cut of the hands of the Egyptians. 
He is your leader, your protector; you have 



A PEXITEXCE OF FORTY TEARS. 167 



witnessed the ineffable goodness He has shown 
you in this wilderness ; He has never ceased 
to shield you and to love you as the most ten- 
der of fathers." 

In vain did Moses and Aaron remonstrate 
with them, they were deaf to their soothing 
words ; and in this extremity, the holy legislator 
and his brother prostrated . themselves, and 
implored the help of the Almighty, whilst Ca- 
leb and Josne tore their garments in despair, 
and they rushed into their midst to appease the 
tumult by their earnest entreaties. "Hear us !' 5 
said they, " we have visited Canaan ; it is the 
most beautiful country in the world; we shall 
conquer it with God's help. Do not irritate 
the Lord; remain in submission; we fear not 
those giants whom we shall devour with the 
same facility as a hungry man devours a piece 
of bread." 

Alas ! the tenderness of Moses, the eloquence 
of Aaron, the zeal and the efforts of Caleb and 
Josue, were of no avail. Far from being 
moved, the Israelites became more and more 
mutinous, and they wanted to stone those who 
sought to console and to calm them. Sudden- 
ly, the cloud that rested on the tabernacle, 
changed into a devouring fire, and it was the 
visible sign of the just indignation of an out- 



168 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



raged God, who addressed these words to 
Moses : " How long must I endure the insults 
of this ungrateful people? how long will they 
remain incredulous to my promise ? The mo- 
ment of vengeance has come. I shall extermi- 
nate this nation. Fear not, Moses, my faithful 
servant, you shall govern a nation greater and 
more powerful than this." " Alas !" responded 
Moses, " if you destroy this people, the Egyp- 
tians and other nations will blaspheme your 
holy name, and they will insult your majesty. 
They know you to be the God of our fathers, 
that you manifest yourself to us in all your 
glory, that you nourish us with the bread of 
Heaven, and they will learn your vengeance, 
and they will say : ' Their God has conducted 
them in sight of the promised land, but un- 
able to lead them further, they have all per- 
ished in the desert.' Glorify your name, O 
my God, according to your promise, for you 
have said : c The Lord is merciful, He is pa- 
tient.' Temper, then, your justice to the weak- 
ness of this people, I implore you, O Lord." 
"I shall pardon them," answered the Lord, 
" and they shall not all die by the plague ; but 
I am the living God, and I verily say that my 
glory shall not hereby suffer, nor by the pardon 
I now grant them. Tell them, therefore, that 



A PENITENCE OF FORTY YEAES. 169 



the living God is incensed against them ; that 
He has declared that none of those who have 
attained the age of twenty shall enter the prom- 
ised land, but that they shall wander in the 
desert for forty years. Caleb and Josue shall 
alone be excepted, for they have taken no part 
in the sedition. All others shall die, and they 
shall be buried in the sands of the desert." 

This dreadful sentence began to be put into 
execution by the death of ten of the guilty 
spies. They were struck dead by the hand of 
God, in the midst of the multitude of the peo- 
ple. "When Moses had informed the Israelites 
of the will of the Lord, they were seized with 
fear and terror, and they shed tears of pro- 
found grief. (Xumb. xiv.) 

Behold now a million of men, condemned to 
wander for forty years in a wilderness! their 
most ardent hopes are blasted, by reason of 
their murmurs, which they have so constantly 
and ungratefully repeated $ there they must die, 
there they shall be buried, beneath the sands of 
the desert ! 

Such hard-heartedness is scarcely credible! 
but alas ! are we not ourselves prone to ingrat- 
itude ? We murmur repeatedly against Provi- 
dence, and we forget the love and the good- 
ness of God, who cares for us as a tender 
15 



170 CHILDEEX OF THE PATRIARCHS 



mother, and conducts us through the dangers 
of this life : and in spite of our enemies, to the 
promised land, Heaven ! 

m 

A COMPLETE DEFEAT. 
The next day 3 a rash bravery furthered, in 
spite of the views of God. the punishment of 
the transgressors. Without being assured of 
the protection of the Lord, they presented them- 
selves before the enemy. They supposed that 
they would thus make reparation for their 
faults, and that God would be touched at their 
generous resolution. Therefore, they took up 
arm-, and they said to the holy legislator : " We 
have sinned against the Lord our God. and re- 
resolved to appease His anger, vre shall ascend 
the mountain, and make an attack upon the 
enemy."' Whilst their leaders were conversing 
with Moses, they hastened on towards the 
mountain of Canaan, and presented themselves 
"before the Amalekites. " Why do yon thus ex- 
pose yourselves to danger?" said Moses to 
them ; 4 * it is not*the will of God that you should 
now give battle ; by so doing you will trans- 
gress His orders, and His protection will not ac- 
company you. Would you perish by the sword 
of your enemy'?'' 



A COMPLETE DBFEAT. 



in 



Strange perversity of the human mind ! This 
mutinous people feared naught in the moment 
of danger, and they trembled when they were 
in safety. And, indeed, Jioses spoke to them 
in vain, for their base pusillanimity gave place to 
a presumptuous blindness. They sought, then, 
the Anialekites, who, in their turn, rushed upon 
the Israelites with such fury, that they were 
completely routed and driven back to Horma, 
a city of Canaan, where a large number of 
them were slain. Moses had not entertained 
the slightest hope of the success of his people ; 
he therefore took no part in the battle, and 
he did not suffer the ark to accompany them. 
At night, the dead and scattered bodies of the 
Israelites were collected, and of several thou- 
sand combatants, there remained but a handful 
of stragglers and wounded men. 

After a few days' rest, the people of Israel 
were obliged to leave the neighborhood of the 
promised land, and they retraced the road to 
the desert, to wander during forty years, 
as the just Judge had decreed it. (Xunib. 
xiv.) 

After such terrible and striking examples, 
who would not abhor with heart and soul, the 
disobedience, the incredulity, the ingratitude 
of men towards God ? These poisonous sources 



172 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



are the cause of revolts against superiors, and 
of the unhappiness of men, of families, and of 
states. 



AMBITIOX JUSTLY PUNISHED, 
I. 

THE REVOLT OF THREE CHIEFS. 

Before Jesus Christ, 1643. 

The Israelites were beginning to feel the 
effects of this long and painful journey to which 
their crimes had condemned them, and Moses 
was about taking the rest of which he was so 
much in need, when there broke out the most 
violent sedition that had as vet taken place. It 
was secretly planned amongst the most affluent 
men of the principal tribes; their knowledge 
and their authority affording them full scope 
for the execution of their ambitious schemes. 
Core, of the tribe of Levi, was displeased to see 
Aaron raised to the dignity of sovereign pon- 
tiff, and his family alone enjoying the sacerdotal 
honors. Dathan and Abiron, of the tribe of 
Reuben, the oldest of the sons of Jacob, saw, 
also, with feelings of envy, that Moses, a man 



THE EEV0LT OF THREE CHIEFS. 173 

of the tribe of Levi, should be in possession 
of so much povrer. Therefore, these three am- 
bitious men rebelled against the patriarch and 
his brother, and they excited two hundred and 
fifty of the Israelites to follow their example; 
they were all heads of large families, and 
distinguished amongst the children of Israel. 
All preliminary arrangements being made, 
the chiefs of the conspiracy boldly presented 
themselves before Moses and Aaron. "You 
have sufficiently governed us," said they; 
" resign, therefore, the honors which you have 
usurped till this day. Does it not satisfy you 
to be as an equal amongst your brethren ? Are 
we not sanctified too ? Wherefore then do you 
rule over us with such pride ?" On hearing 
these reproaches, Moses fell prostrate in the 
presence of the Lord, and he implored His 
assistance in so critical a moment. Then, as 
though suddenly inspired, he rose to speak to 
Core and to his troop, in the following terms: 
u The Lord shall be our arbiter; He will make 
known to us those whom He has chosen to fulfil 
the offices of His altars. But, to-morrow morn- 
ing, you, Core, and your adherents, be present 
in this tabernacle ; in your censers you shall take 
fire from the altar of perfumes and you shall 
offer incense in the presence of the Lord. God 
15* 



174 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 

will make His voice heard, and we shall know 
whom He has chosen amongst us. Children of 
Levi, you are full of foolish pretensions, and 
beware of the danger of your designs. Is it 
because God has admitted you nearer in 
His presence than the rest of the children of 
Israel, that you, Core, and your brothers, 
should regard yourselves worthy of entering the 
holy priesthood, for which, however, you are 
not destined ? Remember, it is not a man whom 
you and your followers attack, but it is God 
Himself ; and who is Aaron, that he should be 
the object of your murmurs ? he has not taken 
upon himself the honors of priesthood, and if he 
be pontiff, it is by the express order of the 
Almighty." 

Those remonstrances were of little or no avail, 
and Moses, in despair, turned to those who were 
about to usurp the temporal power, and he pre- 
vailed upon them to show more docility. He 
gent for Dathan and Abiron ; they were absent ; 
but they responded proudly : " We shall not go 
thither. We who have been driven from the 
fertile country into which we were on the point 
of entering ! We who are obliged to wander in 
those frightful deserts wherein we must perish ! 
How well he has fulfilled his promise ! Where 
is the land flowing with milk and honey? Are 



TEE REVOLT OF THREE CHIEFS. 175 

we not indeed in possession of rich crops and 
fertile vines ? Ah ! why not blind us at once, 
so as we shall not witness our miserable posi- 
tion! Xo ! we shall not go thither, we shall 
not appear before him !" What insolence ! what 
seditious language ! Moses could not refrain 
from being filled with indignation. " You know, 

my God, v exclaimed he, " and they know 
themselves, if I have merited these reproaches 
and these insults. I am overwhelmed with woe; 

1 have never offended them, and they would see 
me die of grief. They merit not, God, the 
mercy which you have so constantly shown 
them.*' In spite of these words of momentary 
indignation, Moses hope! for the conversion 
rather than the punishment of his people. After 
having again summoned the prevaricators, to 
appear the next day in the tabernacle, the holy 
legislator retired, trembling with fear of the 
rigor of God's wrath against this obstinate race. 
He hoped, nevertheless, that they would reflect 
upon their guilty designs, and that they would 
repent, but alas! those hopes were cruelly 
blasted! (Xurnb. xvi.) 

What a dreadful resistance against the au- 
thority of the holy legislator ; this man who was 
the right hand, the servant, the friend of God ! 
What blindness, what insolence, what audacity 



176 



CHTLDKEST OF THE PATKIARCHS. 



on the part of those ambitious murrnurers ! 
Cursed by God and abandoned to His ven- 
geance, what shall become of them ? 

II. 

DESTRUCTION OF THE REBELS. 

Ox the following day, Moses and Aaron re- 
paired to the tabernacle. They placed them- 
selves on one side of the entrance, whilst Core 
and his two hundred and fifty conspirators were 
on the other, A multitude of people had come 
to witness the deplorable scene which was about 
to take place. The cloud which enveloped the 
tabernacle shone suddenly with a luminous fire 
and betokened the presence of the Sovereign 
Being. " Separate from this cursed band/' said 
He, "for I shall annihilate it in my anger/' On 
hearing this terrible threat, Moses and his bro- 
ther prostrated themselves and cried : " O 
Lord God Almighty, you who know the hearts 
of all men, would you punish all those here pres- 
ent for the crime of this impious man and his 
faction?" " No," replied the Lord," " the of- 
fenders shall alone be punished; as for the peo- 
ple, order them to retire to their tents." Moses, 
followed by the elders, went immediately into 



DESTRUCTION OF THE REBELS. 177 

the neighborhood of the tents of Dathan and 
Abiron : " Fly," said he to the people, "remain 
not here, touch not whatsoever belongs to the 
conspirators, for fear of being implicated in their 
crimes and of being smitten by the same punish- 
ment," This order was obeyed, and when the 
people had abandoned their homes, the rebels 
appeared on the threshold of their doors, with 
their wives, their child ren,and their accomplices. 
"If these men," continued Moses, 44 die by a 
natural death, and if God do not punish them 
in some extraordinary manner, you may then 
regard me as an impostor ; but if God performs 
a miracle neverbefore witnessed, if He command 
the earth to open, to swallow them up, then you 
will agree that I am the minister of the Most 
High, and that they are the blasphemers of His 
holy name." Scarcely had Moses spoken, when 
the earth opened beneath the feet of the rebels, 
and cast into an eternal abyss, men, women, 
children, riches, tents, and pavilions ; every thing 
disappeared, and the hard-hearted prevaricators 
were all at once buried in one dark and fright- 
ful tomb. Meanwhile, a devouring fire was 
kindled by the breath of God, and it destroyed 
the two hundred and fifty impious intruders, for 
having penetrated into the sanctuary to offer a 
sacrilegious incense. 



178 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 

Whilst so many guilty men were cast into a 
horrible abyss, the Israelites who had come to 
witness this spectacle, rushed hither and thither, 
crying : " Let us fly, for the earth may open and 
swallow us up." After this sad event, Eleazar, 
the son of the high priest, collected all the cen- 
sers which had been used by the impious con- 
spirators, and he caused them to be melted, and 
then to be wrought into plates, which were 
hung at the altar, in order that the Israelites 
might remember this dreadful example. 

Those who enter into holy orders with a view 
of gain, with ambitious or sordid feelings, 
should tremble in the presence of a just God, 
who commands His ministry to be sacred, for 
those only who are destined to priesthood, as 
Aaron and his sons, have the right to fulfil the 
duties thereof, inasmuch as they have received 
from Heaven the gifts and the qualities which 
so holy a calling demands* 

HI. 

THE PONTIFF WITH CENSER IN 
HAND. 

Oxe would really be inclined to believe that 
the spirit of evil had taken full possession of 
the children of Israel ; for the next day they 



THE PONTIFF WITH CENSER. 



179 



recommenced their murmurs against Moses 
and his brother, as they sallied forth together 
to the sacrifice at the tabernacle. All of a sud- 
den, a frantic multitude rushed towards them, 
overwhelming them with bitter reproaches, and 
a confusion of voices audaciously repeated : 
"You, Moses, you, Aaron, are the execution- 
ers, the murderers of your brothers !" The 
tumult increased, the murmurs changed into 
clamor and outcries ; the commotion was gene- 
ral, and the servants of God had scarcely time 
to take shelter in the tabernacle. Xo sooner 
had they entered than the cloud enveloped the 
sanctuary to prevent the sacrilegious approach 
of the rebels, and to manifest to them the ma- 
jesty of an angered God. However, Moses pray- 
ed, sparing neither tears nor invocations to ap- 
pease the Lord's wrath, and to obtain from Him 
the forgiveness of this ungrateful multitude : and 
the two brothers remained humbly prostrated 
before the Divine majesty: " Ah ! brother," 
suddenly exclaimed Moses, " rise, take speedily 
your censer, and burn incense to the Lord ; 
prostrate yourself between our Divine Master 
and His people, and pray for this unhappy 
nation. It is already time, for an injured God 
is about to exterminate them in His fury." 
Aaron, clad in his sacerdotal robes and the 



180 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



censer in hand, goes forth in their midst, whilst 
the fire and flame consume all around. The 
pontiff lingers imploringly ; he places himself 
between the living and the dead ; he prays ; 
he reminds God of His promises and of His alli- 
ance ; he offers perfumes and incense, and God 
at length hearkens to his fervent entreaties. 
The fire is extinguished, and the plague ceases, 
but only after sacrificing 14,700 victims, not in- 
cluding those who had perished on the day 
previous. After this terrible vengeance of the 
Lord, Aaron returned to the tabernacle with 
Moses, to celebrate a thanksgiving for the 
mercy which He had manifested in favor of the 
rest of the people. 

Is it not pitiful to behold, that ere the last 
punishment of this wicked people was at an 
end, and whilst the last dreadful conflagration 
was yet smouldering before their eyes, they 
a grain rebelled against Moses and his brother ? 

But do we not find frequent examples of the 
same perversity amongst ourselves ? If the 
guilty ones be spared, assuredly it is the minis- 
ter of the Lord ; it is Aaron, with censer in 
hand, who turns the wrath of the Lord away 
from us ; it is the blood of the spotless victim 
that cries out for mercy ; it is the intercession 
of the faithful, humbly prostrated in the sanctu- 



THE EOD IN BLOSSOM. 



181 



ary, appeasing His anger, and staying His 
avenging hand, ready to strike the transgres- 
sors of His holy law. 

IV. 

THE ROD IN BLOSSOM. 

The just severity which God had used to- 
wards His people was effectual, inasmuch as the 
Israelites confessed their faults and persevered 
in their good dispositions for the space of 
many years. After Moses had prayed in the 
temple with his brother Aaron, he spoke to the 
Israelites in the following terms, and in the 
name of the Almighty : " The Lord, your God, 
who desires to protect you as a father, but whom 
you force to treat you as slaves, is now resolv- 
ed to give you an incontestable proof of the 
choice which He has made of Aaron for Llis 
high-priest. Let each tribe present a rod, upon 
which will be engraven the name of the prince 
or the chief of the tribe. There will be twelve 
of them, according to the number of tribes 
which compose the people of God. That of 
Levi will be inscribed with the name of Aaron, 
and it will be the thirteenth. I have order to 
place them in the sanctuary, in the presence of 
the Lord. One of these rods will blossom, and 
1G 



182 CHILDREN" OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



it will be that engraven with the name of the 
pontiff whom the Lord has chosen. This 
will terminate all disputes, all jealousies, all 
murmurs. The twelve rods were brought, and 
Moses placed them in the ark of the covenant. 
The following day he entered the Holy of 
Holies, and he found that the rod of the tribe 
of Levi had blossomed ; it was full of buds and 
flowers, and it bore almonds. The holy legis- 
lator took it, and exhibited it to the astonished 
crowds, and they were fully convinced that the 
Lord had appointed Aaron as their pontiff. 
God expressed His desire, that so glorious a 
proof of the legitimate ministry of Aaron should 
be preciously kept in the tabernacle. He there- 
fore commanded Moses to place the mysterious 
rod in the Holy of Holies, with the tables of 
the law and the urn of manna, so that it might 
serve as a memorial to forewarn the children 
of Israel against the dangers attending mur- 
murs and sedition. (Numb, xvii.) 

The rod of Aaron blossomed, and it bore 
fruit until the extinction of the synagogue ; 
that of the priests of the new law will bear fruit 
till the end of the world. Jesus Christ has said 
it, and He speaks not in vain. 

Let us respect the Lord's anointed, for He 
has marked them with an indelible character 



DEATH OF MARY. 



183 



of sanctity. Yes, let us honor the ministers 
of the new law, in order that we be not smit- 
ten like the prevaricators of old. 



TERM OF FORTY YEARS OF PROSCRIPTION. 
I. 

DEATH OF MARY. 

Before Jesus Christ, 1605. 

All the events which we have related, hap- 
pened during the two first years since the 
departure of the people of Israel from Egypt, 
and during the thirty- eight years which follow 
Scripture does not mention any thing of impor- 
tance ; there were fifty-one encampments, dif- 
ferent marches and counter-marches which 
were accomplished in the deserts of Arabia, 
around the mountains of Seir and Idumsea, in 
the neighborhood of the Red Sea, thence the 
people retraced from the south to the north, 
above the mountains of Edom, to reach the 
promised land. Thus did the Israelites accom- 
plish the sentence of the Lord, who had con- 
demned them to perish in the wilderness. 
Nevertheless, God continued to watch over His 
people, the manna supplied them with food, 



184 



CHILD BEN OF THE PATRIARCHS 



the miraculous pillar gave them light and 
shelter; the communications of Moses with 
God were as familiar and as frequent as ever, 
and by a miracle of Providence, the shoes and 
the clothes of so many men were not worn out 
by their long journeys. 

At length in the course of the first month of 
the Mosaic year, the Israelites reached Cades, 
which is situated in the neighborhood of 
Canaan, where, forty years before, they had 
also encamped. It was here where Mary, sister 
of Moses and Aaron, died at one hundred and 
thirty years of age. She was interred with 
all the pomp due to a distinguished prophetess. 
Mary had rendered herself dear to the nation 
by her assiduous care of the Hebrew women, 
and for the solicitude which she had for all 
those under her charge ; moreover the people 
were greatly indebted to her for having con- 
tributed to save Moses in his infancy from the 
waters of the Xile. Her loss was deeply felt 
by the Israelites, and particularly by her two 
brothers. Mary was one of those who had not 
the happiness of entering the promised land, 
because, like the Israelites, she had murmured 
in the desert. (Xumb. xx.) 

What grief and pain Moses had to endure 
during the whole course of his life ! Why then 



THE WATEE OF CONTRADICTION. 



185 



should we complain at the slightest contradic- 
tion, at the slightest opposition, which we may 
perchance meet on our way to Heaven. 

IL 

THE WATEK OF CONTRADICTION. 

The death of Mary was not the only painful 
occurrence during the encampment at Cades. 
No water was to be found, and instead of im- 
ploring the assistance of God, the children 
of Israel renewed their former murmurs. They 
gathered tumultuously around Aaron and his 
brother, and they reproached them as the 
cause of their wretched position. " Would to 
God,'' cried they, " that we had died with our 
brethren ? why should we remain in this desert 
to die of thirst with our families and our nocks ? 
Whv have we been carried out of Esfvpt to 
sojourn in those burning sands which we can 
neither plough nor cultivate, and where there 
are neither figs nor raisins, nor pomegranates, 
nor a drop of water to quench our thirst 
And thus did this ungrateful people ask favors 
of God ! That which most irritated the Lord, 
and afflicted His ministers, was to witness their 
impatience, and their want of trust, whilst 
so many wonders were being accomplished in 
16* 



186 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 

their favor. Moses and Aaron endeavored to 
appease them, and they entered the tabernacle 
to implore the Lord in their behalf. " Lord 
God of Israel," cried they, "listen to the 
prayers of your people, and be merciful to- 
wards them, give them water to drink, and 
they will cease their murmurs." God was 
touched at the confidence of His servants, and 
He surrounded them with His glory, giving 
Moses His orders in these terms : " Assem- 
ble the people near the rock on the mountain ; 
approach it, you and your brother, and 
command the waters to flow, and the people 
and their herds can then satisfy their thirst." 
Moses took the rod which was in the pres- 
ence of the Lord, he assembled the pepple, 
and accompanied by his brother, he placed 
himself near the rock. The Israelites were in 
anxious expectation. " People of little faith," 
said he to them, "rebellious children, listen : 
" You ask for water, and do you merit it ? Do 
you suppose that my brother and I can cause 
water to flow from this rock?" Hereupon, a 
certain doubt swept across the mind of Moses : 
he did not doubt that God could not, but 
that He would not perform this miracle; 
nevertheless, Moses struck the rock, and seeing 
that the water did not come forth ; he struck 



THE REMAINS OF THE PONTIFF. 187 



it again with more confidence, and immediately 
the water sprang from the rock in abundance, 
allowing both man and beast to quench their 
thirst. 

The servant of God was punished for his 
want of confidence in the Lord. "You have 
doubted my word," said the Lord, " and you 
shall not enter the promised land." 

This spring was called The Water of Con- 
tradiction, because there the Israelites had 
renewed their murmurs. (Xumb. xx.) Such 
was the fault of Moses and of Aaron, — a fault 
which might escape the most just, the most 
holy of men ; yet God punished the trans- 
gressors thereof, by reason of their character, 
their rank, and their holiness, placing them in 
evidence amongst the people. 

When we consider the slight faults of those 
eminent personages, of saints who have con- 
templated the majesty of God, punished so 
severely, have we not reason to tremble for 
ourselves ? 

III. 

THE REMAINS OF THE PONTIFF. 

From Cades, Moses sent ambassadors to 
the king of Eclom, to beg of him to allow 
his people to pass through his dominions. He 



188 CHILDREN OF THE PATE I AH CHS, 



assured him that no damage should be done to 
his lands, nor to his vines, that no water 
should be drawn from his wells, but that they 
would continue their journey by the public 
road, without straying to the right or to the 
left. Edom re -ponded proudly: " You shall 
not pass through my dominions or I shall meet 
you at the head of my troops.'* " We merely 
ask the liberty of the high road." said the am- 
bassadors, "and we are disposed to pay you 
amply for whatever water we may use." The 
king still refused to grant them their desire § 
and to avoid any further communications with 
them, he made preparations to oppose Israel at 
the head of a large army. But the Lord had 
forbidden the Israelites to take up arms against 
the people of this country, that is to say, 
against the Moabites and the Ammonites, de- 
scendants of Lot, and against the Idumaeans, 
descendants of Edom or Esau ; so that having 
no free passage to pursue their march, they 
were obliged to go a roundabout way to reac 
the promised land. They first bent their 
course to Mosera, at the foot of Mount Hor, 
and situated at the extremity of the land of 
Edom. During this encampment 3Ioses had a 
painful duty to perform. The Lord called His 
faithful servant, and told him to inform Aaron 



THE REMAINS OF THE POXTIFF. 189 



to dispose himself to die. " He shall not enter 
the promised land,*' said the Lord, 4 - for I bear 
in mind the doubts which he entertained at 
The Waters of Contradiction. Take then 
Aaron and his son Eleazar to Mount Hor, and 
upon it you shall divest the high-priest of his 
sacerdotal robes, and of all the insignia of his 
dignity, and you will give them to Eleazar his 
son. Alter this ceremony, Aaron will expire 
in your arms, and he will go and meet his 
fathers." With what admirable courage these 
two great men, who were sure of meeting each 
other in the bosom of Abraham before the end 
of the year, submitted themselves to the orders 
of the sovereign Master! The whole nation 
was witness of this touching spectacle. 

They ascended therefore the mountain, and 
in view of the multitude of the children of 
Israel, Moses, with his own hands divested his 
brother of his tiara, his ephod, the breast-plate 
and the pontifical robe, with which he invested 
Eleazar. Ere this ceremony was concluded, 
Aaron expired without sickness or pain, in the 
arms of his brother and of his son. Such was the 
death of the first high-priest of the people of 
God, after thirty-eight years of glorious but 
arduous labor in the holy ministry. Moses 
descended the mountain and presented the new 



190 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



pontiff to the nation. Aaron was buried on 
the mountain; tears of deep regret were shed 
over his tomb, and for thirty days the grief 
was general. 

"What a beautiful, what a touching death! 
and moreover, what greatness of soul in this 
holy pontiff! He sees himself stripped of all 
the insignia of his dignity, and condemned to 
die in sight of the promised land, and he sub- 
mitted to this rigorous sentence with the 
greatest resignation. Aaron's death was truly 
that of a saint, of a friend of God. 

May cur life thus terminate in peace, in 
resignation, in expiation of our venial sins, and 
of the pain due to our past iniquities ! 

IV. 

THE BEAZEX SERPEXT. 
TThilst the Israelites were quietly encamped 
at Mosera, they were surprised and attacked 
by the king of Canaan, sovereign of Arad. 
The king was at first victorious, and he made 
a large number of the Israelites prisoners. 
But the latter made a vow to God, and the 
victory passed to their side. The idolaters 
were defeated, several of their cities were 
burned, and their king found death in the 
combat. 



THE GIANT OG. 



191 



The people of God continued their march. 
They crossed the mountains of Seir, and passed 
the Jordan. These winding marches caused 
the people to murmur; they complained of 
the length of the voyage, of the want of bread 
and water, and of the disgust they now had for 
the manna. God made them again feel His 
anger, by sending serpents whose bites caused 
a dreadful mortality among them. The ca- 
lamity only ceased when Moses, by order of the 
Lord, raised a brazen serpent which, when 
those who had been bitten looked upon it they 
were healed. 

This serpent was the figure of Jesus Christ, 
who, raised on the Cross, was to cure the 
wounds which Adam's sin had inflicted on 
man. 

V. 

THE GIAXT OG. 

As the Israelites drew near the River Jordan, 
they entered upon a fertile country, forming 
part of the promised land. It was inhabited 
by the Amorites, a colony of the descendants 
of Canaan. This was the first great conquest 
of the people of God. Sehon, their king, re- 
fused to give them a free passage through his 
estates, and, assembling his army, he advanced 



192 



CHILDBED OF*THE PATRIARCHS. 



against the Israelites, and gave them bat- 
tle; but he was completely defeated by Moses, 
who gained over him a great and glorious vic- 
tory. His soldiers devastated the country, 
took the fortified cities, and, by order of God, 
they put to the sword all the inhabitants. In 
short, the country fell into the hands of the 
victorious. Many of the Amorites still re- 
mained rebellious, and for this reason the Israel- 
ites advanced towards the kingdom of Basan, 
which extended in the neighborhood of the 
River Jordan. Og, their king, was one of the 
race of giants ; he was of a gigantic stature, as 
likewise his soldiers, so that at the sight of 
these formidable foes, terror spread amongst 
the children of Israel ; but the Lord was with 
them, and He said to Moses : " Fear not, for I 
have delivered your enemies into your hands." 
Og, at the head of a formidable army, hastened 
to oppose the passage of the people of God; 
but he was slain in the combat, with his children, 
and all his subjects were exterminated. The 
Israelites laid waste the country ; they raised 
the siege of the cities, and fell into possession of 
over sixty strongholds ; they also took their 
flocks and their herds, and they enriched 
themselves with considerable spoils. (Numb, 
xxi. ; Deut. iii.) 



THE AVARICIOUS PROPHET. 



193 



The forty years of penitence bad now elapsed, 
and none of those who had been condemned to 
die in the desert now lived ; so that the Israel- 
ites were on the point of entering into the 
promised land. 



BALAC AND HIS PROPHET. 
L 

THE AVAKICIOITS PROPHET. 

After these victories, the Israelites estab- 
lished their camp in the plains of Moab, on the 
borders of the Jordan, and opposite the city of 
Jericho. Balac, king of this country, being 
alarmed at the success of Moses over the Amor- 
ites, looked upon himself as lost, were he not 
to use the most expedient means to oppose the 
invasion of Israel. At that time there was a 
famous prophet, named Balaam; he lived at 
Pethor, a city which was situated on the Eu- 
phrates. When Balac saw the consternation of 
his subjects, as also that of the Midianites, 
" This people," exclaimed the king, " will exter- 
minate us !" and he sent ambassadors to the 
famous prophet ; they were depositaries of a 
17 



194 



CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



large sum of money, and they had orders to say 
to him : " Some wandering but formidable 
tribes of Egypt have encamped in our neigh- 
borhood ; they are in multitudes ; they swarm 
the country, and they threaten invasion and 
pillage ; come forth with us, and . curse this 
formidable nation, in order that we may defeat 
them, and drive them from our frontiers ; for 
we know that blessed are those whom you 
bless ; cursed are those whom you curse !" 
Meantime, they exhibited the gold which 
should be the price of his malediction. This 
false prophet had some knowledge of the tra- 
ditions of the patriarchs who had sojourned 
in those countries ; so that fearing to engage 
himself in this undertaking, he told the ambas- 
sadors that he had to consult with the Lord. 
"Remain in my house this night," said he to 
them; "to-morrow I shall give you an answer." 
And, in truth, the Lord of the Hebrews spoke 
to Balaam : " What is the wish of those stran- 
gers in your house ?" said the Lord ; " and what 
is the motive of their journey hither ?" " They 
are," answered Balaam, " ambassadors sent by 
Balac, king of Moab, and they have orders to 
tell me that a formidable people of Egypt swarm 
the surface of the earth ; that they threaten de- 
vastation. 6 Come and curse them, 5 said they, 



THE AVARICIOUS PROPHET. 195 



" so that we may drive them from our frontiers.' " 
" Follow them not. Curse not this people," 
said the Lord, "for I have blessed them." 
Hereupon Balaam rose early next morning, and 
said to the travellers : " Return to your country , 
the Lord forbids me to accompany you." 
Having heard this refusal, Balac was not dis- 
concerted, and he sent back a more powerful, a 
more honorable deputation from his court. 
"Here is what Balac, king of Moab, asks of you," 
said they. " ' Do not refuse to follow my ambas- 
sadors. Come, and I shall load you with riches 
and honors. You have the choice of your own 
reward, but curse Israel ?' " " If your master 
would give me his palace full of gold and sil- 
ver," replied Balaam, " I could not change the 
words which the Lord has put into my mouth. 
I am not, therefore, the master to add to, or to 
lessen, one word of what he has said. How- 
ever, give me a little time ; remain again in my 
house. I shall communicate with the Lord, and 
I shall inform you whether His answer be the 
same." Probably the prophet did not wish to 
lose so happy an occasion of enriching himself. 
God spoke again to Balaam : " Since these 
strangers desire you to' follow them," said He, 
" go ; I am not opposed to your departure ; but 
be careful to do my will in every thing." 



196 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIAE CHS. 



The following morning Balaam rose early, 
and he apprised the Israelites of the will of the 
Lord. They immediately set off — the prophet 
following slowly upon an ass, and accompanied 
by two servants. (Numb, xxii.) 

God permits Balaam to depart, because his 
wish was to go, notwithstanding inspirations 
and suppressed remorse. God often abandons 
the hardened sinner to his own evil courses ; 
and how deplorable is that abandonment! O 
Lord, make us submissive to your voice ; 
punish us if we are guilty; but do not 
abandon us ! 

IL 

THE REPRIMANDS OF AN ASS. 

Ox the road, Balaam bethought of words 
which might assure him a rich reward. Such 
were not the views of the Lord, who was in- 
dignant at the cupidity and the treachery of 
this impostor. Balaam merited to be chastised 
there and then ; but God wished to use him as 
an example; so He deferred his punishment. 

The angel of the Lord, under a human form, 
but terrible and menacing, appeared on the way 
before the ass that bore the prophet. Balaam 
did not perceive him; but the ass saw him 



THE REPRIMANDS 0E AN" ASS. 197 

brandishing a sword, the point of which he 
threatened to bury in his flanks. Seized with 
fear, the ass set off through the country, Balaam 
whipping him the while, and endeavoring to 
make him follow the road ; but the ass rushed 
into a narrow passage, in which it was impos- 
sible to turn either to the right or to the left, 
and the angel was there with uplifted hand to 
oppose his progress onward. At length Ba- 
laam was precipitated to the ground, and enter- 
ing into a great rage, he struck violently the 
beast, which would have been killed, had it not 
been that the Lord interfered, and performed a 
miracle as great as it was admirable, and which 
perhaps was without example : the ass spoke 
in plain words, and he reproached his master, 
for his cruelty towards him. However, the 
Lord opened the eyes of the prophet, who be- 
held the angel with the drawn sword. At 
this sight, he fell prostrate before the Lord. 
" I am here," said the angel, " to oppose your 
designs, for you pursue the way of perversity. 
If your ass had not returned — if it had forced 
its passage thitherward — my vengeance would 
have fallen upon you, Balaam." "I have 
sinned," said the prophet, " and if this under- 
taking displease you, O Lord, I am ready to 
retrace my steps." " Tou can continue your 
17* 



198 



CHILDEEN OF THE PATRIAE CHS . 



journey," answered the Lord ; " but bear in 
mind that you must do my will." The prophet, 
therefore, continued his journey towards Moab. 
(Numb, xxii.) 

Were God to renew this miracle now-a-days 
— were He to make animals speak — how many 
occasions would He not have to reproach us for 
the abuse of His precious gifts. By our pas- 
sions and our vices we degrade ourselves, and 
thereby we place ourselves far beneath the 
brute. 

HI. 

BLESSINGS FOR MALEDICTIONS. 

"Whex the king had been apprised of the 
approach of the prophet, he went forth to meet 
him at the frontiers of his dominions. He re- 
proved him somewhat for his dilatoriness. M I 
sent for you," said he, " why did you not come ? 
Did you suppose that I was unable to pay 
the services you may render me ?" " Prince," 
answered Balaam, " I am now here ; but do 
you in your turn suppose that it would be pos- 
sible for me to say other words than those 
inspired by God ?" Three times did the false 
prophet endeavor to satisfy the king by cursing 
Israel, and three times God directed his tongue, 



BLESSINGS FOE MALEDICTIONS. 199 



and made him utter, in spite of himself, the 
greatest of blessings in their favor. The next 
morning, at break of day, the king conducted 
his prophet upon a high mountain which was 
consecrated to Baal, the false god of the king- 
dom. Thence he showed him the camp of the 
Israelites, and he begged of the prophet to 
curse it. Balaam retired a few paces to com- 
municate with the Lord, then he sought the 
presence of the king who was surrounded by 
the great of his kingdom, and to him he spoke 
those prophetic words: "Balac has brought 
me from A m ram ; 4 come,' said he, ' and curse 
Jacob, hasten and load Israel with maledic- 
tions.' Ah ! how could I curse a people 
whom God has not cursed ? From the summit 
of this mountain I behold them, I contemplate 
them. This people shall not be confounded 
with other nations. He who can count the 
grains of the dust of the earth, shall count also 
the multitudes of the children of Jacob. O, 
that I may die as those just men ! That my 
end may be like theirs !" Angered at these 
words, Balac interrupted him, and he said : 
" "Wherefore do you thus speak? I have 
brought you thither to curse my enemies, and 
you presage prosperity for them ; you bless 
them ! - Come upon that mountain yonder, and 



200 CHILDREN OF THE PATEIAECHS. 



from there you shall curse Israel." As before, 
Balaam consulted the Lord, and with a pro- 
phetic tone he said : " Up, O Balac ! and lend 
an ear to the voice of God ! God is unchange- 
able. He has spoken, and His words shall 
come to pass. He has sent me hither to bless 
and not to curse. There is no idol in Jacob, 
neither is there an imaged god to be seen in 
Israel ; the Lord is in the midst of her soldiers ; 
her army is formidable, and the victories of her 
king are trumpeted by fame. Behold the Israel- 
ites seizing their prey and devouring it as a fam- 
ished lion/' " Enough, Balaam," exclaimed 
the king, 4 * if you cannot curse this nation, cease 
at least to bless it.' 5 u Have I not already told 
you," said the prophet, "that I should utter 
whatsoever the Lord commanded me ?" " Never- 
theless," cried Balac, " you cannot depart thus; 
perhaps you might curse these tribes from the 
mountain of Phogor." Then Balaam, without 
consulting the Lord as before, cast his eyes 
towards Israel, and discovered the different 
tribes assembled around the tabernacle ; imme- 
diately he was filled with the Spirit of God, and 
he cried exultingly : "How magnificent are 
your temples, O Jacob ! How beautiful your 
pavilions, Israel ! They extend afar, like a 
valley decked with superb forests ; like a deli- 



BLESSINGS FOR MALEDICTIONS. 201 



cious garden watered by a clear stream ; like 
tents erected by the hand of Jehovah; like 
cedars on the fertile borders of a river ; the 
purest waters shall ever flow wheresoever 
Jacob may dwell ; Israel shall draw abundance 
from the source of rivers. This people shall 
annihilate their enemies, they shall destroy 
them, and they shall pierce them with arrows. 
Blessed be this nation, and cursed be those who 
curse her children." 

At these words, Balac became furious ; 
and he commanded Balaam to suspend his 
discourse. " TThat !" said he, " I have called 
you to my court to curse my enemies, and 
three times over you bless them ! Hence 
from my presence ! let me no more behold you. 
I was fully disposed to load you with riches 
and honors, but the God whom you serve de- 
prives you thereof.'' " Prince,'* replied the 
prophet, 61 have I not said to your ambassadors 
that were Balac to offer me his palace full of 
gold and silver, I could not utter but the words 
of the Lord?" 

Withal, this unhappy man meditated a 
scheme to enrich himself. But even then, the 
Spirit of the Lord seized him outright, and he 
resumed his prophecy. " I shall behold it," 
exclaimed he, M but not now ; I shall content- 



202 CHILDBED OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



plate it, but at a distance ; a Star shall arise out 
of Jacob, a sceptre shall spring up from Israel." 
The prophet continued to announce the ruin of 
several neighboring cities, then he added : " Alas ! 
who amongst us shall witness the fulfilment of 
these wonders ? I see warriors corning from 
Italy upon their war ships ; they shall overcome 
the Assyrians, they shall pillage the fertile lands 
of the Hebrews, and these same warriors shall 
witness the destruction of their own kingdom." 
(Numb, xxiii. ; xxiv.) 

Such were the prophecies of Balaam. Alas ! 
he was not a just man, though he uttered those 
beautiful and prophetic words, and the tongue 
that had been the organ of God soon became 
that of hell ! How good and merciful is the 
Lord ! He hoped by these predictions to con- 
vert a false prophet, and to enlighten an 
idolatrous prince. Meantime, He manifested to 
His people His greatness and His power, in 
order to confirm their confidence in Him. But 
all these warnings were despised by criminal 
and unjust men. 

IV. 

PERFIDIOUS ADVICE. 
Not being able to injure the children of 
Jacob by maledictions, Balaam attempted to do 



PERFIDIOUS ADVICE. 



203 



so in another way. He succeeded in accom- 
plishing his designs, and never could the most 
dreadful imprecations have caused them more 
harm than his diabolical counsels. He made pro- 
mise to the king of Moab, to find expedient 
measures to rid him of his enemies ; and in an 
audience which he granted him, he gave the 
king to understand that it were useless to 
attempt to destroy a people protected by God 
Himself; that the only means of triumphing 
over them, was to induce them to become idol- 
aters, and to have them take part in other crimes 
capable of exciting the anger of God. Balac 
profited by his odious counsel, and he ordered 
that a splendid festival should be celebrated in 
honor of his idols ; then the Moabite women 
and their daughters were sent among these 
wandering tribes to invite them to come and 
participate therein. This perfidious manoeuvre 
had its effects ; the Israelites accepted, and 
they went forth to the temple of idolatry where 
many of them were initiated into the worship 
of Beelphegor, and they committed dreadful 
crimes : they offered incense to the idols, and 
they ate the meat that had been destined for 
them ; in a word, they were guilty of all sorts 
of abominations and infamy. God was angered 
with His people, and He smote them with a 



204 



CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



contagious plague which menaced to destroy 
the whole nation. Moses implored God for the 
pardon of those at least who were innocent ; 
but, the guilty ones should reap the fruits of 
their sins. The holy legislator therefore as- 
sembled the judges and the princes, and he 
communicated to them the orders of the Lord, 
telling them meantime that the transgressors 
should die, for having given themselves up to 
fornication and idolatry. It is on this occasion 
that the zeal of Phinees, son of Eleazar, mani- 
fested itself in a high degree. 

Whilst the Israelites were lamenting at the 
entrances of the tabernacle over the crimes of 
their brothers, a man named Zambri, of the 
tribe of Simeon, had the audacity to commit, 
under the eyes of Moses and of his people a 
most grievous sin. At its sight Phinees was 
seized with a holy indignation, and strengthened 
with the Spirit of the Lord, he rose in the midst 
of the multitude, and armed himself with his 
sword, wherewith he immolated the guilty 
Israelite and his idolatrous accomplice. 

God's anger was somewhat appeased by this 
example, and the plague instantly ceased, but 
otherwise the order of God was executed, and 
24,000 of the prevaricators perished, including 
those who had died of the plague. How just 



TREACHERY PUXISHED. 



205 



was the anger of God ! " It is Phinees, son of 
Eleazar," said the Lord, u who has stayed my 
arm, I would have destroyed this nation, but 
his zeal has appeased my wrath. To him then 
do the Israelites owe their lives. Tell him that 
I make an alliance of peace with him, and that 
he and his descendants shall succeed in the 
ministry and in the popedom." (Numb, xxv.) 

What evil ! what harm do false prophets 
not cause ! This is why the Lord tells us to 
avoid them. He forewarns us that there will 
be false prophets till the end of the world. Let 
us then be guarded against them ; let us shun ' 
their company, for fear of being led away by 
their perfidious language, for the anger of the 
Lord would condemn us with them. 

V. 

TREACHERY PUNISHED. 

God had punished His children, but not those 
who had perverted them. "My vengeance," 
said the Lord to Moses, " shall weigh upon the 
Midianites who have outraged my glory, who 
have seduced my people, and have caused them 
to fall into idolatry. Punish them, therefore, 
in order that your name mny become terrible 
to them, for they shall no longer endeavor to 
18 



206 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 

pervert my people. Then you shall be called 
from this world to dwell with your fathers." 
Moses obeyed the orders of the Lord, and he 
said to the Israelites assembled : " Fly to arms ; 
our God will take vengeance of those Midian- 
ites who have caused crimes to be committed 
amongst us. Let each tribe make choice of 
one thousand men; twelve thousand brave 
soldiers will suffice for the accomplishment of 
His orders." Accordingly, each tribe furnished 
one thousand soldiers, well armed, and full of 
ardor for combat. Phinees, this zealous servant 
of God, placed himself at the head of the troops 
and faced the enemy of Israel. The Ark of the 
Covenant and the holy vases were placed in 
front of the army, as also the trumpets which 
were to give the signal of the combat. Balaam 
had gone towards Moab to reap the benefits of 
his hateful counsels, and at the same time to 
afford himself the pleasure of seeing the Israel- 
ites defeated. But his avariciousness was pun- 
ished ; the Midi an it es were completely routed ; 
a large number remained on the field of battle ; 
the five princes or petty kings who governed 
these people were slain, and Balaam was 
amongst the dead. Thus did he find the price 
of his wickedness, and the punishment of his 
treachery. After this great battle, the Israel- 



TREACHERY PUNISHED. 



2G7 



ites pillaged Midian, burned the cities, the 
burghs, and the villages. The spoils were im- 
mense : six hundred and seventy-five thousand 
sheep, seventy-two thousand oxen, sixty-one 
thousand asses. A portion of this booty was 
left to the people, and the soldiers divided the 
rest between them. O wonder ! when the first 
officers presented themselves before Moses, in 
the transports of their joy, they exclaimed: 
" Congratulate your servants, for we have 
counted our men, and not one is missing. 
When we departed, we were twelve thousand 
men ; we have fought, we have vanquished our 
enemies ; we have pillaged their lands, plundered 
and set fire to their cities ; we have taken pos* 
session of their herds and their slaves, and yet 
we are twelve thousand men. How ungrateful 
we would be to the Lord if we defer giving 
Him a mark of our gratitude. Allow us, then, 
to offer to the God of armies all the gold, rings, 
necklaces, brooches, bracelets, &c, which we 
have taken from the idolaters." Moses ac- 
cepted this offering, and he put all these rich 
jewels into the hands of the high-priest, and 
they found that the whole quantity weighed 
sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty 
shekels. Those jewels were deposited in 
the tabernacle, to serve as a memorial of the 



208 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIIeCHS. 



mercy of the Lord towards His army. (Numb, 
xxxi.) 

At all times there will be Balaams in the 
Church ; that is to say, false prophets, and of 
tkose persons who prefer their own interest to 
the glory of Jesus Christ. On the other hand, 
there will be Phinees, and ministers who are 
disinterested and devoted to the glory and to 
the salvation of man. 



LAST WORDS OF THE LEGISLATOR OF 
ISRAEL 
I. 

GRIEVOUS TIDIXGS. 

The children of Israel were now stationed in 
the plains of Moab, opposite Jericho ; Moses, 
by the order of the Lord, and the high-priest, 
Eleazar, made the census of the people : they 
now reckoned six hundred and one thousand 
seven hundred and thirty fighting men ; whilst 
thirty-eight years before, there was an army of 
six hundred and three thousand five hundred 
an$ fifty men ; and in the former number there 
was not one of those who had departed out of 



GEIEYOUS TIDINGS. 



209 



Egypt, aged twenty years and above, excepting 
Caleb and Josue. The children of Israel were 
now on the point of entering into the promised 
land, and the Lord said to Moses : " You shall 
ascend the high mountains of Abarim, and, from 
the peak of Phasga, on the summit of Mount 
Nabo, you shall contemplate at leisure all those 
beautiful regions which I am about giving to my 
people. I can only afford you this consolation, 
because you offended me in the desert of Sin, 
conjointly with your brother, at the Waters of 
Contradiction. You did not honor me in pres- 
ence of the multitude, as I had a right to ex- 
pect it from the chief and from the pontiff of Is- 
rael. Aaron has gone to meet his people ; full 
soon you shall follow him." Moses implored 
the Lord to permit him to cross the Jordan to 
view the promised land, but his prayer was not 
granted. Then this man who was so powerful 
when he prayed for others, could not obtain for 
himself the favor of crossing the Jordan. The 
holy legislator humbly submitted to this decree; 
and full of tenderness and of solicitude for his 
people, he exclaimed : u I implore you, Lord 
Gocl Almighty, you who know the depth of the 
hearts of men, and who dispose of them at your 
will, deign to make known the chief whom you 
have chosen to watch over the children of 
18* 



210 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS, 

Israel, to conduct them into the promised land, 
and to head them for battle, in order that they 
skall not be like a flock without a shepherd. 
"You shall take," said the Lord, " Josue, son 
of Nun, because I have spoken to him as to you, 
in the plenitude of my Spirit ; you shall present 
him to the high-priest, Eleazar, and in presence 
of the people you shall give him the rules and 
the laws of the government. Tell him that the 
safety of the people depends upon the union of 
their chief with the sovereign pontiff, and you 
shall invest him with your power; command 
the children of Israel to obey him henceforth 
as they obey you." No man would have been 
more conformable to the wishes of Moses and 
of his people than the brave Josue. For forty 
years he had been the minister, the disciple, the 
confidant, the friend of the holy legislator ; on 
all important occasions Josue was near him to 
receive his orders, and to share his labor. Be- 
ing then at the age of ninety-three, he had 
had ample time to form himself upon the model 
of a great man, of a wise, firm, and religious 
legislator. 

On the other hand, his own uprightness, his ' 
bravery, his experience, and his age, recom- 
mended him most highly to the people of Israel. 

With sincere gladness did Moses hasten to 



GRIEVOUS TIDINGS. 



211 



execute the orders of the Lord. He therefore 
assembled the people at the sound of the trum- 
pet, and the high-priest, the princes of the tribes, 
and the elders, approached him, and, in the pres- 
ence of the multitude, 3Ioses pointed to Josue 
and commanded that henceforward they should 
obey and respect him ; then, by the imposition of 
his hands, he associated him in the government 
of his people. About this time, Moses regulated 
the manner in which should be made the distri- 
bution of the lands and the dotations of the Le- 
vites. The tribes of Reuben, of Gad, and part 
of the tribe of Manasses, were rich in numerous 
herds of oxen and flocks of sheep, and they 
begged of Moses the liberty to settle on the 
fertile plains which had been conquered. Moses 
consented, but on conditions that they would 
cross the Jordan with the Israelites, and that, 
with them, they would fight to conquer the 
promised land. They readily acceded to this, 
and Moses gave them the lands of Sehon, king 
of the Amorites, and those of Og, king of Bazan. 
(Xumb. xxxii. ; xxxvi.) 

Then the holy legislator, after generously ma- 
king the sacrifice of the promised land and of his 
life to God, prepared for his voyage to eter- 
nity. What greatness of soul in this holy man ! 
He forgets himself in the interests of his people. 



212 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 

SECOND CONFIRMATION OF THE 
COVENANT. 

Moses assembled the Israelites several times 
"before leaving them, so as to communicate to 
them his last wishes. First, he recalled to their 
memory the wonders operated in their favor 
whilst they sojourned in the wilderness, their 
murmurs, their revolts, their ingratitude, etc., 
then he bid them be faithful to God, if they did 
not wish to inc;ir his anger: " Lend an ear, O 
Israel! to the laws and to the commandments 
of the Most High ! By observing them you 
shall find life, and you shall possess the land 
which has been promised to you. Let all na- 
tions, beholding your piety and your virtue, 
say : ; This is a great, wise, and powerful peo- 
ple.'" And what nationson the face of the earth 
have ceremonies, rules, laws, and precepts com- 
parable to those given to you ? And what nation 
again, how powerful soever she may be, has a 
God so intimate, so attentive to hear her pray- 
ers as ours ? Study, therefore, His will, and in- 
struct your children of the same. Above all, 
bear in mhld the manner in which the law was 
published on Mount Horeb." 



SECOND CONFIRMATION OF COVENANT. 213 



In another assemblage held by Moses, he ex- 
claims : " Give ear, O Israel, to the Lord our 
God ! the Lord is One. (Blessed be the name of 
the glory of His kingdom for ever and ever !) 
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all 
thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all 
thy might. And these words which I command 
thee this day shall be in thy heart. And thou 
shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, 
and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy 
house, and when thou walkest by the way ; 
when thou liest down and when thou risest up. 
And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thy 
hand, and they shall be as frontlets between 
thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon 
the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates. 

" And it shall come to pass, that if ye will 
hearken unto my commandments, which I com- 
mand you this day, to love the Lord your God, 
and to serve Him with all your heart, and with 
all your soul ; then will I send rain for your 
land in its due season, the first rain and the 
latter rain, and thou mayest gather in thy corn, 
thy wine, and thine oil. And I will give grass 
in thy field for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat 
and be satisfied. Take heed of yourselves, lest 
your heart be deceived and ye turn aside, and 
serve other Gods, and worship them. For then 



214 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



the Lord's wrath will be kindled against yon, 
and He will shut up the heavens, that there be 
no rain, and the land will not yield her fruit, 
and ye shall perish quickly from off the goodly 
land which the Lord giveth you. 

" Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in 
your heart, and in your soul, and bind them 
for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as 
frontlets between your eyes. And ye shall 
teach them to your children, speaking of them 
when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou 
walkest by the way, when thouliest down, and 
when thou risest up. And thou shalfc write 
them upon the door-posts of thy house, and 
upon thy gates. That your days may be mul- 
tiplied, and the days of your children, in the 
land which the Lord swore unto your fathers 
to give them, as the days of heaven upon the 
earth.' 5 

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 
" Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid 
them to make themselves fringes in the borders 
of their garments, throughout their generations) 
and that they put upon the fringes of the bor- 
ders a thread of blue. And it shall be unto 
you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and 
remember all the commandments of the Lord, 
and do them ; and that ye seek not after the in- 



SECOND CONFIRMATION OF COVENANT. 215 

clinations of yonr heart, and the delight of your 
eyes, in pursuit of which ye have been led astray. 
That ye may remember, and do all my com- 
mandments and be holy unto your God. I am 
the Lord, who brought you out of the land of 
Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord your 
God." 

All that Moses recommended to his people 
was written down in a book which he placed 
in the hands of the priests, with his history, 
and they were kept in the Ark of the Covenant 
with the tables of the law. Every seven years 
this book was to be read to the people on the 
festival day of the Tabernacles, in order that 
they would learn to fear and to serve the Lord. 

Once these instructions accomplished, the 
holy legislator disposed himself to appear before 
his God. (Deut. xxviii.) 

Israel hearkened to Moses with a religious 
fear, yet Moses filled a ministry that should 
pass away ; and when he had the misfortune to 
offend God, he became the object of His chas- 
tisement. What pains then must be reserved 
for those who trample under foot the Son of 
God and His eternal law I 



216 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



III. 

THE SUCCESSOR OF MOSES. 

When the holy legislator was on the point 
of death, the Lord spoke to him : " You are 
about leaving this world," said the Lord ; " call 
Josue and go forth into the tabernacle with 
him." Moses obeyed, and he awaited in the 
sanctuary the commands of Heaven. Then the 
Lord descended in all His glory, and He mani- 
fested Himself to His servants under the form 
of a pillar of cloud that remained at the entrance 
of the tabernacle, to forbid the approach of the 
people. "Be armed with strength," said the 
Lord to Josue, " for it is you whom I have 
chosen to conduct my people into the promised 
land. Fear not, I shall be with you, and I 
shall combat my enemies at the head of my peo- 
ple. As for you, Moses, you shall soon rest 
amongst your fathers, and leave the children of 
Israel to the guidance of Josue. Alas ! they 
will give themselves up to the worship of vain 
idols ; they will abandon me, they will violate 
the alliance which I have contracted with them. 
And my fury will be kindled against this peo- 
ple and they shall no longer behold their God* 
I shall leave my sanctuary, I shall abandon it r 



THE SUCCESSOR OF MOSES, 21 7 



and they will say : c It is because the Lord does 
not dwell amongst us that we have fallen into 
sin.' " 

At length, abiding by the orders of the Lord, 
Moses and Josue composed a hymn in which 
the prevarications of Israel and her chastise- 
ments were announced. These holy men were 
directed by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, 
and when this beautiful hymn was completed 
it was sung in the presence of the Israelites, by 
whom, moreover, it was learned by heart, in 
order that they should each day be the proph- 
ets of their own ruin. Here is the beginning 
of this sublime cantic'e : " Heavens, lend ear to 
my voice, and yon, earth, be attentive to the 
words of my lips," etc. * * * On the day 
on which this hymn was sung, Moses had order 
to ascend Mount Abarim, whereon he was to 
die, after having contemplated the promised 
land. (Deut. xxxii. ; xxxiv.) 

For forty years Moses had labored in the 
midst of contradictions and murmurs, revolts- 
and fatigues, to lead forth his people into Canaan, 
wherein, however, he could not enter, in punish- 
ment of a doubt he showed in the desert ; he 
bowed, nevertheless, in all humility to this just 
but sad decree, for he had the firm hope of be- 
ing admitted into the promised land of Heaven I 
19 '* 



218 CRTLDEEST OF THE PATEIAECES. 



On the great day of judgment, when the 
wicked shall see the just taking possession of 
their heavenly abode, when they will hear this 
terrible sentence: " You shall never enter here!" 
What despair ! What wrath ! to be forever 
banished from heaven ! ! ! 

IV. 

DEATH OF THE LEGISLATOR OF 
ISRAEL. 

Moses hastened then to obey the orders of 
his Divine Master. He assembled the people 
to bid them a last farewell, and to .give them 
his blessing, like a good father to his beloved 
children. Beside him were Eleazar, his nephew, 
and Josue, his successor. When about to 
speak, Moses was seized with a prophetic spirit, 
and his parting words were a prediction, as 
formerly were those of Jacob, dying in the 
■midst of his family. After having passed his 
tribes in review, he terminated thus : " Blessed 
art thou, O Israel, happy are thy children. 
God is thy helper and thy protector ; He will 
cover thee with His buckler, and His avenging 
sword will lead thee to glory ; thy enemies will 
refuse to submit to thee, but they will be smit- 



DEATH Or MOSES. 



219 



ten by His Divine power, and thou shalt trample 
them under foot-" 

Such was the last interview of Moses with the 
Israelites, who were stricken with consterna- 
tion. He separated from the multitude, and 
accompanied by Eleazar and Josue, who were 
to be witnesses of his death, he ascended the 
mountain of Xebo, and from the highest peak, 
called Phasga, the Lord commanded him to 
cast his eves upon the land of Canaan. Moses 
contemplated its beauty and its extent, whilst 
the Lord said to him: " This is the land which 
I have sworn to give to the posterity of Abra- 
ham, Isaac, and of Jacob. I have fulfilled my 
promise ; you have beheld this land, but you 
shall not enter therein." When the Lord had 
spoken those word-;, Moses, who had now 
reached the age of six-score years, expired on 
this mountain, in the land of Moab ; but so 
healthful was he, and so vigorous, that he felt 
not the slightest sign of old age — his sight was 
not weakened, nor his teeth impaired. Thus 
did Moses give up his spirit to God, leaving his 
body in the hands of his two faithful friends, 
Eleazar and Josue. Notwithstanding their 
exceeding sorrow, it was not to them that fell 
the care of burying this good master, but God, 
for reasons which He has not revealed to us, do- 



220 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCH S . 



prived them of this charge, which he confided 
to His angels. The archangel St. Michael placed 
the body of Moses in a valley of Moat). This 
operation was accomplished so secretly, that 
the precise spot of his grave was not discovered, 
lest, perhaps, the Hebrews, with their inclina- 
tion to idolatry, might offer him Divine honors. 
But if the tomb of Moses remained unknown, 
it was not so with his memory, which was ever 
sacred to his people. This great man was be- 
loved by God and cherished by his faithful sub- 
jects. God had manifested Himself to Moses, 
in all the greatness of His glory ; He revealed 
unto him His precepts and His laws ; nor was it 
in a hidden maimer, nor by figures, but it was 
face to face that the Lord communicated His 
secrets to His servant whom He had likewise 
chosen to be His friend. 

Chief, leader, historian, and legislator of the 
people of God, he was, moreover, God's pontiff 
and His prophet by excellence. ( Brought up at 
the court of kings, he did not forget that he 
was of Jewish blood, and when reduced to the 
labors of a country life, the Lord chose him to 
be the liberator of his people ; He declared him 
to be the god of Pharaoh, and He made him the 
conqueror of this tyrant. He guided the Israel- 
ite's to the promised land amidst a thousand 



DEATH OF MOSES. 



221 



contradictions. True son of Abraham by his 
faith, resembling Isaac by the generosity of his 
sacrifices, equal to Jacob by the constancy of 
his labors, and greater than Joseph by the wis- 
dom of his government, he merited to be placed 
amongst the heroes of the people of God. 

Israel grieved the loss of this great man du- 
ring thirty days, according to the custom of the 
nation for great personages. We do not notice 
that henceforth God communicated with any of 
His servants as with Moses, to whom He spoke 
face to face, for the accomplishment of His great 
and numerous miracles. (Deut. xxxiv.) 

By the wonderful exclusion of the holy legis- 
lator from the promised land, God wished to 
make us comprehend that the gates of Heaven 
could not be opened either by Moses or by the 
law which he had given, but by Jesus Christ, 
Author and Perfecter of the Law of Grace, 
which has alone the power of putting in posses- 
sion of Heaven, the just of the old and of the 
new covenant. 
19* 



THE 



CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS 

TAKING POSSESSION OF THE 
PROMISED LAND. 



PREPARATIONS FOR A GREAT CONQUEST. 
I. 

GLORIOUS MISSION. 

Before Jesus Christ, 1605. 

Until then, it had been necessary for the 
Israelites to have a legislator and a father, but 
after the death of Moses, they had a general 
and a warrior, one who was full of tender 
love for his soldiers; a brave warrior, who was 
not, however, wanting in the skill of a 
legislator. Such was Josue, the son of Nun, of 
the tribe of Ephraim, who since the death of 
Moses, had inherited his power over the He- 
brew nation. Being exactly ninety-four years of 
age, he had the experience of an old captain 
and the vigor of a young soldier, and to the 



GLORIOUS MISSION. 



223 



merits of military exploits, he united the purity 
of morals and the simplicity of religion which 
were so necessary to command the respect of 
the people of Israel. 

A few days after the death of Moses, whilst 
the Israelites were still grieving over their loss 
in the plains of Moab, God made His voice heard 
to the new leader of His people. " My servant, 
Moses, is no more," said the Lord, 4; you, 
Josue, shall, henceforth, hold his place at the 
head of the children of Israel. Rise, therefore, 
and conduct them across the Jordan, to con- 
quer the promised land, which I have destined 
for my people. All the lands wheresoever you 
shall set your foot, shall belong to you, for I 
have made this promise to my servant, Moses. 
Fear not the might of your enemies ; whilst you 
command my armies, you shall be invincible. 
I have protected Moses all through his under- 
takings, and thus also shall I protect you. Arm 
yourself with force, be faithful, observe the laws 
which have been published by Moses. Do not 
stray from them ever, because you shall find 
therein the rules of conduct for all your under- 
takings. Let the study of this law be your con- 
stant occupation. Meditate on it day and night. 
Let it be the subject of your conversations. 
Practise it with exactitude, and it will enable you 



224 



CHILDREN OF THE PATRIAACHS. 



to become the model or rather the living law 
of my people. Then all your actions, abiding 
by your precepts, shall be straightforward, your 
plans shall be wise, your triumphs just. Be 
full of courage, fear not, and be not dismayed, 
I who speak to you, shall be on your way, and 
I shall lead you wheresoever you go." 

Faithful to the orders of the Almighty, Josue 
was filled with prudence, strength, and wisdom, 
and the children of Jacob were submissive to 
him. The first remarkable event was the pas- 
sage of the Jordan, but before the Israelites 
commenced their march, Josue told the tribes 
of Reuben, of Gad, and of Manasses, whichhad 
already settled on the east side of the river, to 
be mindful of the conditions, imposed upon 
them by Moses. " Remember," said he to them, 
" that all valiant men shall pass the Jordan, 
armed, and that they shall fight with their 
brothers, until like you they become the peace- 
ful possessors of the lands which have fallen to 
their lot ; thence you can return to your respec- 
tive possessions." They all answered unani- 
mously : M Command and we shall obey you ; we 
have obeyed Moses and we shall obey you also ; 
that the Lord may be with you as He has been 
with this great man. Whosoever shall dare to 
resist you or to contradict your laws, shall be 



A BED STEIXG. 



225 



punished by death. You are the general of the 
armies of God ; give us the example of intre- 
pidity and courage and you may rely upon us. 
(Josue, i.) 

There were over one hundred thousand com- 
batants, but Josue was satisfied with forty 
thousand of the bravest men amongst them ; the 
others remained to protect their families and 
their lands from the invasions of the neighboring 
enemies. The new general had to fight a war- 
like people, to force a multitude of fortified 
towns, and to keep in submission jealous and 
mutinous enemies. But when one acts under 
the order of God, difficulties become reasons of 
confidence, and they assure success. 

n. 

A RED STRING. 

Josue departed therefore for the conquest of 
the promised laud. On the first day of the first 
month of the new year, he chose two of the 
bravest of his men, and he gave them orders to 
cross the Jordan secretly, to take informations 
of Jericho and of its position, of the character and 
the disposition of the inhabitants, and he bade 
them to return immediately, in order that he 
might have full particulars of the country. 



226 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



The messengers were dispatched forthwith, and 
the river being fordable, they reached the gates 
of the city towards evening, but they knew 
not where to pass the night, so as to be in readi- 
ness the next morning for their pursuits. They 
addressed themselves to a woman named Rahab. 
This person's position was somewhat suspicious, 
by reason of her keeping an inn, whence stran- 
gers were continually passing ; but she was 
enlightened by faith and she adored the God 
of the Hebrews, whom she acknowledged as 
the only Sovereign Master of the Universe. 
Her house was situated at the gates of the city, 
and it stood near the ramparts of Jericho. The 
two spies were received by Rahab with cor- 
diality ; they saw that she was an honest woman, 
they judged her to be worthy of their confi- 
dence, and consequently they made her the de- 
positary of their secret. While they were thus 
conversing together, the gates of the city were 
closed, and they soon heard the noise of men 
approaching the inn ; they were sent by the 
king to arrest the two Israelites who had not 
penetrated into the city without the knowledge 
of this prince. u Men or children of Israel," said 
they, " have last night entered the city — they are 
spies, and the king dispatches us to the house 
of Rahab to summon them to his presence." 



A RED STRING. 



227 



These words were overheard, and Rahab in- 
stantly concealed the strangers. When the 
emissaries entered : " Produce the men," said 
they, 46 who are here concealed in your house, for 
they are spies who have come hither to take 
cognizance of these parts." " True," answered 
the woman, " strangers did enter here, but they 
^have gone their way. Ere the gates of the city 
were closed, they escaped from hence in the 
dark ; I scarcely know in which direction they 
have sped, but I fancy it must be in that of the 
river, they -cannot be at a great distance ; hasten 
thither, and you may likely overtake them." 

They believed the report of this woman to 
be true, and accordingly, they followed her 
advice. The gates of the city were opened for 
them and they quickened their steps towards 
the fordable part of the Jordan. Meanwhile, 
Rahab concealed the spies of Josue upon the 
roof of her house, and she covered them with 
flaxen mattings which happened to be placed 
there. jSTo sooner had the kind's messengers 
departed than Rahab was seized with many 
fears, and finding no rest, she joined her guests 
and said to them : " I know that the Lord has 
delivered this country into your hands, the 
terror of your name is spread amongst us, and 
the inhabitants are stricken with fear and 



228 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 

dread. We have learned, how on your depar- 
ture from Egypt, the Lord dried up the waters 
of the Red Sea, how you defeated the Amor- 
ite kings, Sehon and Og, who reigned in the 
countries beyond the J ordan ; they have been 
cut to pieces and they are gone. The tidings 
of your exploits have reached us ; a mortal fear 
has taken possession of our souls, and our hearts^ 
are palpitating with anxious expectation. Yea, 
the God whom you adore is the Lord, He is the 
God Almighty, He reigns above, and His power 
is great over all the people of the earth. 
Promise me now by the Lord, that you will be 
merciful towards my family, as I have been 
merciful towards you. Let us therefore agree 
upon a certain signal, whereby you will be 
mindful of the promise, which I exact from you 
for the safety of my father, my mother, my 
brothers, and of my sisters. Swear, then, to 
save us when the moment of the destruction of 
this city will have come !" " We promise it," re- 
sponded the spies, " and our lives shall answer for 
yours and that of your family ; but deliver us 
not this day into the hands of our enemies." 

Matters being thus settled, Rahab fastened 
long cords to one of the windows of the house 
that commanded a view of the country, and 
the two Israelites descended safely therefrom 



t 



A RED STRING. 229 

to the ground. On parting, Rahab recom- 
mended them to avoid the road leading to the 
Jordan, but to fly, rather towards the moun- 
tains, and to conceal themselves there during 
three days, because she foresaw that every pos- 
sible search would be made for their discovery. 
The two Israelites acceded thankfully to her ad- 
vice ; " We shall remember your charity," said 
they ; "and all Israel shall be grateful towards 
you. Do not forget to bind a scarlet string to 
the window by which we shall effect our 
escape, for this signal will be that of your 
safety when the city will be sacked ; assemble 
therefore in your house all your family and 
your kindred, and if one drop of their blood be 
spilled we shall answer for it." Having thus 
spoken, they followed the advice of their pro- 
tectress, and they concealed themselves in the 
mountains. 

Rahab had spoken by divine inspiration, for 
the king's spies had not ceased their searches 
for three days. No sooner, however, had 
they re-entered the city than the two Israelites 
passed the Jordan and hastened to relate to 
J osue all that had transpired concerning them, 
and as they terminated, they exclaimed : " Yes, 
the God of our fathers has delivered into our 
hands all the lands of Canaan ; the inhabitants 
20 



230 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 

thereof are seized with so strange a fear, that 
at our approach they will flee in dismay and 
we will conquer them." (Jo sue ii.) 

Faith is a virtue which pleases the Lord 
exceedingly ; by it, Rahab was inspired to 
save the two Israelites, and behold Heaven 
rewards her by incorporating her with the 
people of God ; moreover, she gives to Israel 
kings of her own blood, and ancestors to the 
Messiah. By faith we shall be saved, and like 
Rahab we shall redeem o ur family, and who 
knows how many souls may be indebted to us 
for their happiness and for their eternal glory ! 

III. 

AN OBSTACLE OVERCOME. 

It was with gladness that Josue greeted the 
two spies, who were more faithful than those 
who had formerly been sent by Moses. Josue 
immediately informed the princes of the people 
that in three days they would pass the Jordan. 
" Go," said he, " and publish throughout the 
camp, that the Lord is about putting us in 
possession of the rich lands which have been 
promised to our fathers. Therefore, let the 
people be in readiness to continue their march, 
on the tenth of the present month, for on that 



AX OBSTACLE OVERCOME. 



231 



day the Lord will be pleased to operate great 
wonders in our fay^or ? On the eve of their de- 
parture, Josue assembled the people, and 
ordered all the children of Israel to purify them- 
selves of their sins ; " for," said he, with a holy 
zeal, " to-rnorrow you shall witness great 
things." On the day following, he sent heralds 
throughout the camp, to announce the order in 
which they should pass the Jordan. 

At length, came the moment of departure. 
All the Israelites abandoned their tents, the 
priests bore the ark upon their shoulders, and 
headed the band, whilst the army followed in 
perfect order. It was harvest time, and the 
river was swollen to its utmost ; nevertheless, 
the priests who were depositaries of the holy 
ark, advanced without fear and trod upon the 
waters. God had spoken, and by His Power 
He wrought a miracle which exalted the author- 
ity of the new leader. This miracle was the 
flowing back of the Jordan to its source, to 
open a free passage to the Israelites. The ark 
was stationed in the midst of the children of 
Israel ; it was escorted by those of Levi, and the 
whole mass of people passed safely, with their 
wives, their children, and their baggage to the 
opposite banks of the Jordan. 

But the ark having remained in the midst of 



232 



CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS, 



the river, the Lord said to Josue : " Choose 
twelve men of each tribe of Israel, and tell 
them to encircle the ark of the Lord ; then 
they shall take in the channel of the river, and 
from beneath the feet of the priests, twelve 
large stones which they shall transport to the 
first encampment of the army, and there they 
shall form of them a pile, which shall serve as an 
eternal memorial of the miracles which the Lord 
has wrought in favor of the children of Jacob. 

And when on some future day, your children 
shall ask the signification of this signal, you 
shall answer : " When we were passing the 
Jordan to take possession of the land which we 
now inhabit, the ark of the Lord, borne by 
priests, stopped in the midst of the river, whilst 
the waters thereof separated themselves in its 
presence, allowing a free and spacious passage 
to the Israelites." For this end also, Josue 
erected in the river, and on the spot whereon 
the ark rested, a monument of twelve stones 
of enormous size. 

The ark meantime, remained in the Jordan, 
and the priests awaited order from Josue, their 
general, to continue their march therefrom. 
The latter commanded them to place themselves 
at the head of the army, and no sooner had 
they set foot on the opposite banks of the river, 



THE THIRD EASTEE. 



233 



than the waters resumed their ordinary cur- 
rent, and they rilled with impetuosity the vast 
space which had been dried up under the feet of 
the multitude. When the ark had been borne 
ashore, Josue advanced the vanguard, which 
was composed of 40,000 men of the tribes of 
Reuben, of Gad, and of the half-tribe of Man- 
asses. The other tribes followed in the direc- 
tion of Jericho. (Josue iv.) 

What could have been more properly adapted 
than those monuments, to remind the children 
of Jacob, that the hand of the Lord was Al- 
mighty, and that if it had stopped the current 
of the river, it could also combat and annihilate 
the enemies of the people of God ? 



THE RESULT OF A SACRILEGIOUS 
PREVARICATION 
I. 

THE THIRD EASTER. 

Thus they journeyed on in admirable order 
through the vast fields of the Canaanites, and 
with the same confidence as though they had 
been friends or allies. They encamped to the 
east of Jericho. Josue placed in the centre of 
20* 



234 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 

the camp the twelve large stones which had 
been embedded in the river. " Behold," said 
he to Israel, " the wonders of the Red Sea, 
renewed. All nations shall have knowledge of 
these things, they shall adore the Power of 
the God of Israel, and you, children of God, 
yon shall not forget them, nor shall you cease 
to respect and to fear the Lord God of your 
fathers." 

In such like manner, did Josue become the 
fear of the wicked, and likewise was he honored 
by his people, as Moses, his holy predecessor. 
Hitherto, the kings of Canaan considered them- 
selves secured by the rampart of a large river, 
which they regarded as an insuperable obstacle 
to the invasion of a wandering tribe ; but, this 
barrier once forced, they were incapable of reso- 
lution and of counsel; and, confined as they 
were in their respective cities, daring not to 
show themselves, they appeared as mere slaves 
trembling in the presence of their masters. 

However, the execution of the law relative to 
the circumcision, had been neglected during 
the forty years which had been passed in the 
desert. " Go, therefore," said the Lord to 
Josue, " and tell the people to prepare knives 
of sharp stone, wherewith they shall circumcise 
as formerly." This ceremony took place on the 



THE THIRD EASTER. 



235 



eleventh day of the first month, at Galgal ; 
three days hence, that is to say, on the four- 
teenth day, the Israelites celebrated the feast 
of Easter. It was the third since its institution : 
the first took place in Egypt on their departure 
from captivity; the second, after the erection 
of the tabernacle, and the third, when enter- 
ing the promised land ; this last celebration was 
rendered remarkable, for the next day, which 
was that of Easter, when they offered fresh 
crops that had been gathered in the country, 
and eaten new fruit, the manna, which had fallen 
regularly for the term of forty years to serve 
them as food in the vast wilderness of Arabia, 
ceased to be sent to them from above, and 
never more had they occasion to use it. 
(Josue v.) 

The manna, which figures the holy Eucharist, 
disappeared when the Israelites set foot on the 
promised land, and thus will also disappear in 
Heaven the mystic bread, which is distributed 
to us at our holy altars, to fortify us in the 
desert of this miserable life ! Then, God will 
no longer manifest Himself to us under the ap- 
pearances of bread and wine. Ah! in Heaven, 
He will communicafe Himself to the elect in all 
the splendor of His glory; He will fill our 
souls with infinite delight and felicity. What 



236 



CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



a delicious bread is this God, whose possession 
is life eternal ! 

II. 

A PRINCE OF THE CELESTIAL 
ARMIES. 

A few days after the celebration of Easter, 
when the people had been circumcised, and 
when they were sufficiently able to continue 
their march, Josue thought of taking possession 
of Jericho. He went forth alone to the city, 
and was about reconnoitering, when suddenly, 
a stranger fully armed, and holding in hand a 
drawn sword, stood before him. The intrepid 
general advanced, and boldly demanded him : 
" Are you for the Israelites or for the enemy ?" 
;< I am," responded the unknown man, " the 
prince of the armies of the Lord,* and by Him 
I am sent to you." On hearing these words, 
Josue knew the minister of the sovereign 
Master. " Lord," said he to him as he pros- 
trated himself at his feet, " what orders do you 
bring to your servant ?" " First, take off your 

* By some it is supposed to be St. Michael, the prince 
of the chosen people of G-od ; by others that it was an 
apparition of the Son of God, like the Lord to Moses in the 
burning bush. 



PEIXCE OF THE CELESTIAL ARMIES. 23 T 

shoes," said the messenger of God, " for the 
ground which you tread is consecrated by the 
presence of the Lord." Josue immediately 
obeyed, and the angel spoke to him thus : " I 
here deliver into your hands the city of Jericho, 
its king, and its inhabitants, but on conditions 
that you will observe and execute whatsoever I 
shall say. Marshal, therefore, your vast hosts 
and command them to move forward before the 
ark which shall be borne by four priests ; seven 
other priests shall precede the ark, and they 
shall each of them sound a trumpet; the rest of 
the multitude shall follow. In this order, and 
for seven days, you shall make a march around 
the city ; a profound silence being observed the 
while, and no sound other than that of trumpets 
shall be heard. On the seventh day the trum- 
pets shall wax louder and sharper, for this shall 
be the supreme hour, and the people, amid loud 
acclamations, shall take possession of the city." 

Josue was likewise informed of the destruc- 
tion of Jericho, which, by reason of its exceeding 
wickedness, had become the object of God's 
curse ; the inhabitants were to be destroyed by 
the edge of the sword, as likewise the flocks 
and herds, and the beasts of burden ; fire should 
consume the houses and all rich apparel therein, 
whilst the gold, silver, copper, and brass should 



238 CHILDREN OF THE PATKIAKCHS. 



be consecrated to the Lord, and placed in the 
treasury. Forty years previous, Moses had 
received the same order at the foot of Mount 
Horeb, with the difference, however, that the 
messenger of the Lord spoke to him in the 
midst of a thorny and burning bush, symbol of 
the persecutions of the children of Jacob, where- 
as here the angel appears to Josue with naked 
sword to show that it was no longer to delivei 
slaves, but to rally free men and to lead valiant 
soldiers on to victory. (Josue v. ; vi.) 

The Israelites are on the point of becoming 
masters of the land of Canaan. This was the 
inheritance which had been promised to their 
fathers for over 400 years. Twenty times God 
had renewed this promise, and they now claim 
their rights, which the Almighty shall confirm 
by the new miracles which shall mark their 
conquests at every step. 

III. 

A MILITARY MARCH. 

Josue communicated the orders of the Lord 
to the priests and to the princes of the tribes. 
On the following day, which was that of the 
first month, he prepared the execution thereof. 
The people marched forward at break of day, 



A MILITARY MARCH. 



239 



the soldiers being formed into companies and 
columns, with banners ; they were headed by 
their officers, and commanded by Josue, the 
whole forming, as it were, a vanguard. Seven 
priests of the tribe of Levi, were in front of the 
ark, which was supported by four other priests. 
Then followed a large number of persons, the 
greatest silence reigning* throughout ; naught 
was heard save the sound of the trumpets re- 
echoing at intervals afar through the country. 
When they had accomplished, in religious dis- 
play, the circuitous march around the walls of 
the city, they re-entered their camps, and the 
ark was placed in the tabernacle. The same 
ceremony and the same silence was observed 
for six days. 

On witnessing the procession of the Israelites, 
the inhabitants of Jericho considered it at first 
as a significant show of their military force, 
but on further observation, they became reas- 
sured, and moreover, they ridiculed their solemn 
march around the ramparts of the city. Such 
is the spirit of the impious and of the incredu- 
lous ; they see not the views of Providence, 
nor their own ruin which is near at hand. 

At length came the seventh* day, and Josue 
assembled the priests and the princes of the 
people ; he told them that Jericho was to fall 



240 



CHILDEEN OF THE PATEIAECHS. 



into their hands, that it was anathematized, and 
that no Hebrew should reserve for himself 
any thing belonging thereto, or should spare 
any one of its inhabitants save Rahab and her 
family, inasmuch as she had given shelter and 
hospitality to the messengers of Josue. 

Meanwhile, the multitude moved forward, 
and on the seventh day amid the loud shouts 
of the people, and the shrill voice of the trum- 
pets, the walls of Jericho fell before the Israel- 
ites; they entered the city without further 
obstacle, they destroyed by the edge of the 
sword, all living beings, frofh the king to the 
last of his subjects, to the very flocks and herds 
and beasts of burden; the city was reduced 
to ashes, with all the costly things enclosed 
therein, but according to order, they took the 
gold, the silver, the copper, and the iron, and 
they were preserved in the tabernacle and con- 
secrated to God. 

Then Josue, animated with the spirit of the 
Almighty, who wished to make a striking ex- 
ample of this impious race, pronounced a terrible 
imprecation against whosoever should dare re- 
build the city : " Cursed be, in the presence of 
God," exclaimed he, " whosoever shall rebuild 
Jericho upon its ruins ! the corpse of his eldest 
son shall be cast into its foundations, and his 



A MILITARY MARCH. 



241 



youngest son shall be borne to the grave." 
However, a city bearing the B name of Jericho 
was built at a short distance from the ancient 
city ; and when a rash Israelite was about 
erecting a city on its ruins, he was subjected to 
the vengeance of the Lord, and the predictions 
of the man of God were realized word by word. 
From the chaos of bloodshed, of carnage, and 
of fire, Rahab escaped with her family, — her 
father, mother, sisters, and brothers, and all her 
possessions. She had disposed her family to 
become members of the chosen people of God. 
She had not forgotten to bind a scarlet string 
to the window, from whence her guests had 
effected their escape. "Enter the house of 
Rahab," said Josue to the two spies whom she 
had saved, "and bring her forth with all those 
belonging to her." It was indeed with earnest 
joy that they acquitted themselves of this duty, 
and they conducted their benefactress and all 
her family into the camp of Israel. They were 
aggregated to the people of God, and more- 
over, later she married one of the children of 
Israel, by whom she had a daughter, whose 
name was also Rahab, and from whom de- 
scended the kings of Judah. (Josue vi.) 

Thus ended this miraculous siege, during 
which the Lord manifested to His people that 
21 



242 



CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS, 



He alone is the God of armies, and that 
He crushes at will the mightiest people, the 
most formidable ramparts; that He is the 
mighty avenger of crime, and that He annihi- 
lates by His word, criminal cities ; that He is 
the good, the merciful God, who allows the 
sinner time to repent, and gives true happiness 
to the righteous, and to those who co-operate 
in the fulfilment of His will. 



IT. 

RESULT OF SACRILEGE. 

The ruin of Jericho was followed by that of 
Hai, a town of much less importance than the 
former. It was situated at a short distance 
from the camp of Galgal. Josue sent out 
officers to survey the city. On their return, 
they informed their general that it was not 
necessary to put in motion a whole army for so 
petty an expedition, and that two or three thou- 
sand men would assuredly suffice to conquer a 
mere handful of Canaanites confined within 
the dismantled wall of a small town. Although 
this counsel appeared somewhat rash, it would 
nevertheless have proved successful, had the 
God of battles aided His soldiers, but the 



I 

RESULT OF SACEILEGE. 243 

anger of the Lord was aroused by the disobe- 
dience of His people. 

Josue marshalled 3,000 men for the siege of. 
Hai, an able captain being charged with their 
command. As they were gaining access to the 
city, the besieged made a prompt and vigorous 
attack, routing on their way the army of the 
Israelites who were swept into the depths of a 
valley named Sabarim, where they descended 
without possibility of rallying their soldiers to 
their standard. Their loss, however, in this 
humiliating defeat, was but thirty-six men. 
"When those sad tidings had reached the ears of 
the people, they were filled with dismay and 
awe, and Josue was so bereaved that he rent 
his garments, and he prostrated himself with 
the elders before the ark of the Lord, imploring 
Him for mercy and forgiveness. " Alas ! O 
Lord God of our fathers/' cried he, " shall you 
deliver us into the hands of the Canaanites, 
to be exterminated by the sword of your 
enemies? Is it for this end we have crossed 
the Jordan ? Had it pleased yon, O Lord, to 
leave ns beyond the river, we should not be 
now exposed to the insults of infidels? What 
words of earnest repentance shall I utter, O 
my Lord God ? Behold ! 0, behold our sorrows ! 
and when the enemy shall have learned our 



♦ 



244 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 

misfortunes, what then indeed will be their 
triumph? Shall we perish from the face of the 
•earth ? Shall we be destroyed forever !" Thus 
Josue remained with the elders in prayer till 
night, and humbly prostrating himself before 
the ark, he awaited the orders of the Lord. At 
length his prayers were heard. "Rise!" said 
the Lord to him, " your prayers have found 
favor in my presence. The children of Israel 
have sinned, they have transgressed my laws, 
they have violated the conditions of my holy 
alliance. Jericho was doomed to anathema and 
ruin, and they have usurped a part of her spoils ; 
I have witnessed their fraud and their plunder, 
I am aware of their full prevarication, they 
have concealed their sacrilegious theft amongst, 
their spoils. No, I shall no longer be your 
protector and your guide, till the guilty one be 
punished. Go, therefore, Josue, purify the 
people and tell them to dispose themselves for 
the convocation which will be held to-morrow, 
for hear what the God of Israel has to say : 
6 Malediction and anathema are upon you, O 
children of Jacob; and you cannot resist your 
enemies whilst the prevaricator remains with 
impunity. He shall be known in your midst, 
and he shall be cast into fire, with all that be- 
longs to him.'" Thus, we see that the good 



RESULT OF SACRILEGE. 



245 



works of the just draw forth the blessings of 
Heaven upon their brethren ; the crimes of the 
wicked provoke likewise His anger and His 
just chastisements. 

On the following day the general assembled 
all Israel ; the people were divided by tribes : 
that of Judah was fated, then the family of Zare, 
and finally Achan was branded as the prevarica- 
tor of the commands of God. Then Josue said 
to him with compassion and woe : " My son, give 
glory and praise to the God of Israel, confess 
humbly your crime, conceal it not ; what have 
you done ?" " Alas !" answered Achan, u I am 
a transgressor ; I have sinned against the Lord 
God of Israel, and hear me out : I saw amongst 
the spoils a rich and magnificent mantle of 
purple. I took two hundred shekels of silver 
and a bar of gold of the value of fifty shekels. 
I coveted those objects, and I sinned ; I carried 
them away secretly, and I dug a pit in the cen- 
tre of my tent, wherein I hid them. 55 The gene- 
rals sent officers to visit the tent of the sacri- 
legious Achan, and they discovered there the 
precious things he had robbed. They brought 
him, in presence of the elders and of the people, 
the gold, the silver, and the costly mantle, 
which they placed before the temple as goods 
that had beeu robbed from the Lord. Josue had 
21* 



246 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 

them then taken, besides all that belonged to 
Achan ; his flocks, his furniture, even to the wood 
of his pavilions and of his tents, with his family, 
who had undoubtedly participated in this theft, 
into the valley where the crime should be ex- 
piated. There Josue pronounced the doom of 
the guilty man. "Because you have been a 
source of trouble among us," said he, "you 
shall be punished accordingly, and you shall 
die in our midst, and under our eyes." Achan 
and his family were stoned, and cast into a fire, 
with all that belonged to him. They accumu- 
lated upon their corpses a heap of stones, which 
served for a long time as a monument of the 
severity of the vengeance of God. Thence, this 
spot took the name of Achor, which means 
Valley of Trouble. (Josue vii.) 

Such was the punishment of this impious 
man. He had escaped human justice, but he 
could not escape God, who sees every thing, and 
punishes or rewards accordingly. It is to be 
hoped that the repentance of Achan was sin- 
cere, and that he was pardoned for his fault ! 
And ye who steal your brother's goods ; ye 
sacrilegious who escape the sword of human 
justice, you shall never escape that of Divine 
justice. Ye shall be buried in the enormity of 
your iniquities, and there ye shall burn eter- 
nally without ever being consumed! 



SUCCESSFUL STRATAGEM. 247 



V. 

SUCCESSFUL STRATAGEM, 

After this striking example, the Lord did 
not defer giving His servants renewed marks 
of His mercy: "My justice is now satisfied," 
said the Lord to Josue. "Banish fear, and 
your hearts shall once more be filled with con- 
fidence in me. Place yourself at the head of the 
army, and attack Hai : ' I have delivered it up 
into your hands, with its king and its inhabit- 
ants, and it shall have the same fate as Jericho.' " 
Encouraged by those words, Josue chose thirty 
thousand of his bravest soldiers, placing five 
thousand of them in ambuscade near the town. 
" Be in readiness," said He to them, " to fall 
upon the enemy, I shall be with you and the 
rest of the army when attacked ; we shall 
pretend to flee ; they will pursue us, but we 
shall fall back upon them ; then marching forth 
from your ambuscade, you shall enter the town 
and pillage it." 

J osue was obeyed, and every thing took place 
as predicted. At the head of his troops, Josue 
presented himself before the town ; immediately 
the king of Hai issued forth with his people, 
and Israel, giving ground, was pursued by the 



248 CHILDKEN OF THE PATKIAECHS. 



whole army, whilst they shouted loud cries of 
victory. The town was thus abandoned ; for, 
in the midst of their enthusiasm, they little 
heeded its security. Then Josue, upholding his 
buckler, gave signal to enter HaL The five thou- 
sand soldiers took full possession of the place, 
which they destroyed by fire. And when the 
soldiers and the inhabitants, who had been in 
hot pursuit of the children of God, looked be- 
hind them and saw the smoke of the conflagra- 
tion towering high above in lugubrious clouds, 
they endeavored to retrace their steps, but it 
was too late. They were surrounded and taken 
prisoners by the pretended fugitives who mas- 
sacred them all. So that the enemy, to the 
number of twelve thousand souls, lay scattered 
on the field of battle. The Israelites took 
possession of all the flocks, the herds > and the 
valuable stores of the town, and according to 
the order of the Lord, the sharing of the spoils 
took place at GalgaL The king of Hai was 
the last victim of this great slaughter ; his dead 
body was thrown, without burial, far from the 
town, and it was crushed beneath a mass of 
stones. (Josue viii.) 

God manifested great severity towards this 
people, because they were sinners, and hard- 
ened idolaters, who, in spite of the miracles 



THIRD CONFIRMATION OF COVENANT. 249 



performed under their eyes, and within their 
hearing, refused nevertheless to acknowledge 
the superiority of the God of Israel over the 
divinities of other nations ; otherwise, God, 
who is infinitely just, would have wrought in 
their behalf the same protection of which Rahab 
had been the object, 

VL 

THIRD COXFIRMATIOX OF THE 
COVEXANT, 

Jostje had in view a particular object at the 
taking of the town of Hai after that of Jericho; 
he had at heart the execution of the command 
of his predecessor for the renewal of the cove- 
nant of God with His people, which was to 
take place on the mountains of Hebal and of 
Garizim, after the entry of Israel in Canaan. 
And this new victory made easy for him the 
execution thereof, by opening a passage to the 
two mountains, whereon all the children of 
Jacob, men, women, strangers, and proselytes 
should meet to hear the reading of the funda- 
mental articles of the treaty, and the confirma- 
tion of the blessings promised to the observers 
of this law, as well as the maledictions and the 
anathemas reserved to the prevaricators. 



250 CHILDREN OF THE PATE IAB.CHS. 



First the general, in gratitude for the bril- 
liant victory he had won, erected an altar of 
rough stone, and offered holocausts and vic- 
tims ; he had the summary of the law engraved 
upon stones, and he made other preparations 
for the accomplishment of this solemn act* 
This renewal was accompanied with ceremonies 
which were of a nature fully capable of arous- 
ing the people, and of rendering them forever 
faithful to their engagements. He separated 
the multitude into two parts : six tribes were 
placed on Mount Garizim, and six on Mount 
Hebal, and in the centre of the valley between 
them were stationed the priests with the Ark 
of the Covenant. The tribes of one of the two 
mountains pronounced in a loud voice twelve 
forms of blessings in behalf of the faithful ob- 
servers of the law; and the tribes of the oppo- 
site mountain responded Amen / that is to say, 
so shall be rewarded the observers of the law. 
Then, the former tribe s, raising their voice, 
called forth this malediction : " Cursed be the 
man who shall make idols to adore them in his 
tent and the other tribes, raising their voice, 
answered, Amen ; in such like manner shall 
be treated the enemies of God. And thus they 
continued, from one tribe to the other, untii 
the twelve forms of blessings had been con- 
cluded. (Josue viii.) 



STBAXGE IMPOSTURE. 



251 



The Lord, represented by the ark placed in 
the midst of the two camps, heard and con- 
firmed those solemn vows. And indeed, we 
shall see, that so long as the Israelites remained 
faithful, they were loaded with blessings, and 
that no sooner had they strayed therefrom, than 
they drew down upon themselves the most 
terrible chastisements. 



DESTRUCTION OF THE SOUTHERN LEAGUE. 
L 

STRANGE IMPOSTURE. 

However, the kings and the people of the 
lands of Canaan, on realizing the losses they 
had sustained by the destruction of Jericho 
and of Hai, combined their forces to fight the 
Israelites. But whilst those blind and impious 
men rushed towards their own ruin, a small 
number of souls sought the means to escape 
the forthcoming danger, and the goodness of 
God did not oppose their design. Those wise 
and happy Canaanites were the inhabitants of 
Gabaon, a royal, great, and more populous 
city than Hai, from which it was situated but 
a short distance. On beholding the maryellous 



252 



CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS, 



success of Josue, and being fully persuaded that 
the Almighty God had delivered this land into the 
hands of the Israelites, they acknowledged the 
impiety and the folly of resisting a nation so 
visibly protected by Heaven. Here is the plan 
which they devised to elude the storm mena- 
cing them in the distance : they chose a certain 
number of envoys, who, according to orders 
given, laid in provisions to carry with them; 
old sacks were placed upon their mules, with 
broken pouches, patched old shoes, tattered 
clothes, and stale loaves of bread. With this 
singular equipage, the Gabaonites hastened to 
present themselves before the Hebrew general. 
In a few hours they reached the camp of Gal 
gal, where they were admitted to an interview 
with Josue, in the presence of all the Israelites 
assembled. " We come," said they, " from a 
dist&nt country, for our desire is to be allied 
with you." "But, who are you?" answered 
Josue„ " are you not the inhabitants of the land 
we have conquered ? We cannot treat with 
you." " Lord/' replied the envoys, " we are 
your servants, and we ask to be regarded as 
your friends." " I say," replied Josue, " that 
I command you to tell me who you are, and 
from whence you come." "Lord, your servants 
come from a far off land ; God has directed us 



STRANGE IMPOSTURE. 



253 



hither. The fame of His might, and the marvels 
He has wrought for you in Egypt, the battles 
you hare won, have reached our ears, and, 
despite the distance, we have likewise learned 
the fate of the Amorites, of Sehon, king of 
Hesebon, and of Og, king of Basan. Here- 
upon, our elders who govern us have sent us to 
you. ' Take provisions and food with you, 5 said 
they, 6 for the journey is long ; go seek the pres- 
ence of a people protected by God, and say to 
them : We are your servants and we desire 
alliance with you.' Judge of the distance we 
have travelled by the condition of our equipage ; 
the fresh loaves we had at our departure have 
become as hard as stone ; those leather bottles 
which contained our wine were new, and you 
now see them broken and unfit for use ; our 
clothes and our shoes are so worn out, that we 
blush to appear before you. 51 The appeal of the 
Gabaonites appeared so full of ingenuousness 
and candor, that Josue, not having the slightest 
idea of fraud, granted them a treaty of peace 
which should expressly safeguard their people 
from all harm or death. This promise was con- 
firmed by an oath. The Gabaonites were fully 
satisfied, and they returned towards their com- 
patriots to apprise them of the happy result of 
their negotiation. (Josue ix.) 
22 



254 



CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



Jo sue should have consulted the Lord here- 
upon ; but God permitted things to take their 
course, inasmuch as He had at heart the salva- 
tion of a people, who had evinced more faith 
and less corruption than their neighbors. 

EL 

WATER-CARRIER 3. 

Scarcely had three clays elapsed since the 
treaty of peace with the inhabitants of Gabaon, 
when the mystery was cleared, and the people 
discovered that the pretended inhabitants of a 
distant country vrere no other than children of 
Canaan, upon whose lands the Israelites vrere 
about to enter. The surprise of the latter was 
very great, and Josue, somewhat alarmed, made 
speedy preparations for an exp edition to the 
land of Gabaon. He therefore moved forward 
his troops. The gates of the city vrere thrown 
open at his arrival, and no opposition was 
shown either in Caphira, Berotb, or Caria- 
thiarim. In consideration of the submission 
of the Gabaonites, and of the promises made to 
them, no violence was used towards them. 
However, the people murmured against the in- 
dulgence of their chief, for they were resolved 



WATER-CARRIERS. 



255 



to exterminate a nation by which they had been 
deceived. Josue and the elders opposed them. 
" We have sworn in the name of the Lord 
God of Israel, to use no violence towards them ; 
they must not then be exterminated ; let them 
live, for fear that by perjury we incur the anger 
of the Almighty ; but they shall serve the chil- 
dren of Israel. Meantime, Josue summoned the 
Gabaonites to his presence, and he said to them 
with severity : " How have you dared to im- 
pose upon us ? Why have you told us that you 
came from a distant country, whilst you are in 
our midst ? Know, then, that in punishment 
of your imposture, you shall be cursed. You 
shall not be put to death ; we have sworn it, and 
we shall act accordingly; but you are con- 
demned, you and your descendants, from gen- 
eration to generation, to serve the officers of 
the house of my God: the Gabaonites shall 
carry the water and the wood which shall be 
used in the tabernacle." " Lord,' 1 answered the 
elders of Gabaon, " what could we have done 
in the extremity to which we were reduced ? 
We learned that the Lord your God was to 
deliver into your hands this land, and that all 
its inhabitants should perish. We believed His 
word, we feared His threat, and we had recourse 
to dissimulation for the security of our lives. 



256 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



We hoped that being resolved to become mem- 
bers of the religion of your God we should also 
share its mercies. We are now in your hands ; 
dispose of your servants as best you please." 
Josue spared the lives of the Gabaonites, but 
they were employed, as he said, in furnishing 
wood and water for the tabernacle. Happy 
indeed were they to escape the sword of the 
Israelites, and happier still were they to have 
become members of the religion of the true 
God. (Josue ix.) 

Whilst a multitude of impious men swore 
their own ruin by fighting against Josue, the 
messenger of God, a small number eluded this 
danger by associating themselves with the 
children of Israel, and God aided them in their 
undertaking, He even took up their defence 
against their enemies. Although God had 
menaced this people, He did not wish to exter- 
minate them, but He had at heart their conver- 
sion and the destruction of idolatry. 

HI. 

THE LONGEST DAY. 

Ox beholding so many nations yielding to 
the victorious army of the Israelites, and more- 
over learning with displeasure the alliance of 



THE LONGEST DAY. 



257 



the Gabaonites with them, the king of Jeru- 
salem was seized with fear, and he gave himself 
up as lost if speedy measures were not taken to 
oppose their success. 

Gabaon was a large, fine, and an important 
city, and its inhabitants were a warlike and 
courageous people. The prince, Adonisedec, 
and the Amorite kings united in a league to 
fight against the Gabaonites, and they endeav- 
ored to get possession of the city in order to 
destroy its inhabitants. Reduced to this ex- 
tremity, the latter had no other means of safety 
than in the courage of their new allies and in 
the goodness of their general. They sent, 
therefore, messengers to Jo sue, who was in 
his camp at Galgal, and they said to him : 
"Lord, do not abandon your new subjects. 
Gabaon is besieged by the Amorite kings, and 
they are armed against us in the southern 
mountains ; alone we cannot resist them ; come, 
then, to our aid, and deliver us from our ene- 
mies." Josue lost no time ; he consulted the 
Lord, who said to him : " Go, fear not your 
enemies ; they shall fall into your hands, and 
not one of them shall escape. Josue went im- 
mediately to their assistance ; and after a long 
march, he arrived, before sunrise, in full sight 
of the enemy. Urged on by the counsel of the 
22* 



258 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



Lord, he rushed upon the assailants, who, not 
expecting so sudden an attack, were smitten 
with awe, and they fled without showing the 
slightest resistance. A great number of them 
perished before Gabaon, and the rest endea- 
vored to find safety in a prompt retreat ; but 
whilst escaping through the valley of Bethoron, 
they were enveloped by a hail of stones, and a 
greater number perished than by the sword of 
the Israelites. However, the day was waning, 
and a multitude of Canaanifes were on the 
point of fleeing, when the holy warrior, seized 
with divine inspiration, addressed fervent pray- 
ers to the Lord, in the presence of the whole 
army ; then, raising his eyes to heaven, he ex- 
claimed : " Move not, O sun, toward Gabaon, 
nor thou, O moon, toward the valley of Aja- 
lon." And the sun and the moon obeyed his 
voice, and sto$>d still in the midst of the heav- 
ens until the enemy's army was cut to pieces.* 

God, who had placed the planets in the fir- 
mament,' and had marked out their course, 
could, at will, render them motionless, when 
He chose to favor His people. 

A holy father says that the sun, in standing 

* The sun and the moon had suspended their course 
for the space of twenty -four hours, and for this reason 
this day was the longest ever known. (Josue x.) 



1TVE KIXGS IN A CAVERN. 



259 



still,* acknowledged in Josue the power of 
Jesus Christ ; that is to say, the light of truth 
which was declining, and which was to leave 
the world in utter darkness. 

IV. 

FIVE KLN T GS IN" A CAVERN. 

The combat, or rather the flight, continued 
from early morning ; doubtless, exhaustion ex- 
isted on both sides ; on the one hand, terror 
increased that of the fugitives, whilst the pro- 
tection of God animated the Israelites to vic- 
tory. A large number of the infidels were ex- 
terminated. The five kings, who, until then, 
had found safety in retreat, were now without 
resource, and they concealed themselves in a 
neighboring cavern, to await a favorable mo- 
ment for their escape. The general was ap- 
prised of this secret, and he ordered the en- 
trance of the cave to be closed with large 
stones, and to be also well guarded till the 
army of the enemy was totally defeated. 
"Now is the moment, 55 said he, 44 to pursue 
them, to attack them, and to exterminate them ; 

* Though astronomy does not admit of the sun mov- 
ing around the earth, it is evident that Josue thus ex- 
presses himself to make himself understood. 



260 



CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS 



for you must bear in mind that they are idola- 
ters, the enemies of God, and that we are 
charged with His vengeance-' 5 They therefore 
cut to pieces the remainder of the army, leav- 
ing but few of the fugitives to escape to the 
neighboring fortified cities. Thus did the Is- 
raelites complete the conquest of the enemies 
of God. At the close of this miraculous day, 
the troops assembled around Jo sue. in his camp 
at Maceda, and, by another miracle of divine 
protection, not one soldier was missing, nor 
was there a single one wounded or killed du- 
ring so long a combat. God, who. by miracles 
which had never before been heard of. gave 
victory to His people, although not one drop of 
blood was shed amongst them. On the follow- 
ing day, Josue said to his people: u Bring 
forth the five kings who have remained in cap- 
tivity in the cavern."' When they were led 
forward, trembling, and half dead with fear, 
into the presence of their conqueror, Josue then 
called the generals of his staff, and bade them 
set their feet on the throats of these idolaters. 
Josue was instantly obeyed ; and whilst the 
five impious kings groaned under the feet of 
their vanquishers : " Such shall be," said the 
general to his army, " the fate of every king, 
and of all nations which shall dare to resist 



FIVE KINGS IN A CAVERN. 



261 



you. They shall be delivered into your hands ; 
you shall crush them, you shall exterminate 
them. As for yourselves, be not wanting in 
courage and confidence, and remember, that 
such of the Canaanites as you shall spare, shall 
soon become your seducers and your tyrants." 
The most important point of this instruction 
was the excessive fear of pernicious commerce 
with the idolaters. And this is the reason why 
Josue dealt so harshly with the five kings pris- 
oners, i They were then put to death, and their 
bodies were hung upon gibbets. 

The Israelites were encamped at the gates of 
Maceda. Josue attacked this stronghold, and 
he took it by storm on the same day. The in- 
habitants were treated as those of Jericho and 
of Hai ; the king was taken and put to death ; 
they seized upon the spoils, and enriched them- 
selves therewith ; and at nightfall they returned 
to the camp, where, by order of Josue, the dead 
bodies of the five kings were loosened from 
their gibbets, and they were cast into the eav 
ern wherein they had fatally taken refuge, and 
the entrance was filled up by heavy stones as 
before. From this epoch, there was a long suc- 
cession of victories and triumphs for the army 
of Israel. Josue took possession of all the 
countries lying south of Palestine ; he defeated 



262 



CHILDREN OF THE PATEIAECHS. 



eleven kings with wonderful rapidity; the 
Lord God of Israel fought for him against his 
enemies. And he was mindful to attribute all 
the glory of those marvellous conquests to his 
Divine Master, who alone is the God of armies, 
and whom he recognized as such. After these 
glorious expeditions, he hastened with his sol- 
diers to give homage to Godj by humbly pros- 
trating himself before the holy ark, which was 
then in the midst of the camp of Galgal. 
(Josne x.) 

Those impious kings had heard of the num- 
berless wonders and the miracles which God 
had performed ; and, moreover, they were 
spectators of those wrought under their eyes 
in favor of His people, yet blindly did they per- 
sist in their incredulity ; and instead of follow- 
ing the example of the Gabaonites, they armed 
themselves against them in order to extermi- 
nate these people, and by their criminal obsti- 
nacy, they accomplished their own ruin. Why 
did they not, at least, resign themselves for a 
happy end, when they witnessed the judgment 
of God so near at hand, and whilst they were 
abandoned to their own reflections in the 
cavern ? 



A "WAR OF FIVE YEARS. 



263 



DEFEAT OF THE LEAGUE OF THE 
NORTH, 
L 

A WAR OF FIVE TEARS. 

And like the king of Jerusalem, Jabin, king 
of Asor, headed a league which he formed in the 
north of the land of Canaan. Under his com- 
mand, therefore, the confederates rallied. The 
Amorites, the Hethites, the Jebusites, and 
other people of the mountains came at his call, 
to repulse the people of God. Xever, perhaps, 
had there been seen a more formidable army, 
as much by the character of the generals as by 
their number. Vast hosts of soldiers, com- 
parable in number to the grains of the sand of 
the sea-shore ; legions of foot and horsemen, 
and a mighty display of war-horses and chariots 
of iron. The general rendezvous of this formi- 
dable army was in the environs of the waters of 
Merorn, near Asor. 

Josue being informed of the manoeuvres of 
the enemy, resolved to march against them, and 
to surprise them without further delay; he 



264 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



therefore moved his people onward, and with the 
greatest celerity, he safely reached the plains 
of Merom, without the enemy learning their 
approach. " Bear up against fear," said the 
Lord to Josue, " for to -morrow* at this hour, 
your enemies shall have fallen into your hands, 
and you shall then sacrifice them in the presence 
of all Israel ; you shall hamstring their horses, 
and you shall burn their chariots, thus reducing 
them to ashes." The general obeyed the Lord, 
and made a speedy and vigorous attack upon 
the enemy; the confusion and the disorder 
amongst them was so great, that they found 
themselves utterly unable to rally their soldiers 
or recover order. Israel pursued the idolaters 
throughout all Palestine, and without respite 
did they press them on all sides, from the waters 
of Merom to the great city of Sidon, from Lake 
Maserephot to the plains of Masphe. No 
quarters were granted ; and all those who fell 
into the hands of the Israelites, were put to the 
sword; the horses were hamstrung, and the 
chariots reduced to ashes. 

But the general of the armies of the Most 
High was indefatigable, and he extended his 
conquests in all directions. After the battle cf 
Merom, he retraced his steps, and besieged 
Asor, which was the capital of the country. 



A WAR OF FIVE YEAKS. 



265 



Jabin, its king, was taken prisoner ; he was 
then put to death, and all the inhabitants were 
butchered. The stores and spoils were carried 
away, and the houses were burned to the 
ground. Josue destroyed several other nations 
who opposed the progress of his arms. Never- 
theless, his conquests were not as rapid as those 
of his previous campaigns, for this war lasted 
for five years, during which space of time, the 
people and their princes equally persisted in 
their impious attacks upon the people of God. 
Not a single town surrendered, nor did one of 
their kings throw down arms at the spectacle 
of an ever triumphant host. What blindness ! 
But their wickedness had reached its climax, 
and God deemed it unnecessary to tender His 
mercy in their behalf. 

Towards the end of this expedition, Josue 
determined upon renewing his war in the south 
of Palestine. He had been informed that giants 
of the race of Enac, former inhabitants of He- 
bron, of Dabir, and of Anab, had again entered 
in full possession of the strongholds, and were 
about confining themselves therein. He there- 
fore undertook to exterminate tbis body of for- 
midable men. He marched boldly to their en- 
counters, and defeated them upon the spot, 
destroying their towns, and butchering the 
23 



286 CHILDEEX OF THE PATRIAE CHS 



greater number of the Enaciens, allowing but 
very few to escape amongst the Philistines. 

At length, after six years of continual war, 
after brilliant battles and great triumphs, God 
thought the moment propitious for the distri- 
bution of the lands of Canaan. Thirty-one 
kings taken and put to death, several millions 
of Canaanites exterminated, their kingdoms 
pillaged, their cities destroyed, and vast tracts 
of land laid waste, offered extensive fields for 
the prompt cultivation of the Hebrews. (Josue 
xi. ; xii.) 

Once more, we must not consider with as- 
tonishment the destruction of the Canaanites. 
Israel was but the faithfal executor of the will 
of God ; — a God whom the idolatrous nation 
had angered, intrusted the Israelites with the 
infliction He had pronounced against them for 
their crimes, their idolatry, and their debauch- 
ery ; for the cruelties by which they sallied their 
worship ; in a word, for all the abominations 
whereby they infected the earth. " And this 
is why," says the Lord, " they shall be exter- 
minated." 

Let us return to ourselves, and consider 
that we are all, by sin, tributaries of the 
Canaanite and of the Amorite ; that is, of 
Satan ; moreover, we must annihilate all that is 



DISTRIBUTION OF TEE 1 NTTEFJTAXCE. 2C7 



contrary to virtue, and by this means become 
the kingdom and the inheritance of God. 

II. 

DISTRIBUTION" OF THE INHERIT- 
ANCE OF THE LORD. 

Before Jesus Christ. 1590. 

Josue had. now attained his himdredth year. 
He had fulfilled with fidelity and glory the mis- 
sion with which he was charged against the 
Canaanites ; but he had yet to place the chil- 
dren of Israel in possession of their conquests. 
Peace being established all over the country, 
the few enemies yet remaining had no desire 
whatsoever to be mutinous. Then the Lord 
spoke in these terms to His minister : " You are 
now at an age which few Lave the happiness to 
reach ; you have conquered the portion of the 
earth I have destined to my people ; do not, 
therefore, wait the extinction of the enemy to 
make the distribution of their lands amongst 
Israel. Award to each tribe the portion of 
land whereon the people may settle without 
fear of the idolaters, and thenceforth they shall 
multiply gradually under my protection, for I 
shall crush the nations that may rise up against 
them." 



268 



CH1LDEEX OF THE PATKIAUCBS. 



In order to abide by the orders of the Lord, 
Josue divided the country into twelve provinces, 
and gave one to each of the twelve tribes. As 
the tribe of Joseph was formed of the tribe of 
Ephrairn, and of that of Manasses, the number 
of twelve remained complete, independently of 
the tribe of Levi, because those alone of this 
tribe, that is, the priests and Levites, had no 
share in the division, because God had set aside 
for their maintenance one-tenth of all, and the 
first-fruits of the earth. Forty-eight towns 
were allotted to the tribe of Levi, and they 
were situated in each province, so as to afford 
the priests and Levite3 facility to instruct the 
people, and to enforce the observance of the 
laws of God. The tribe of Judah, which was to 
give kings to the nation, and the Messiah to the 
world, had the first and the largest portion, and 
thus successively were the provinces given to 
all the other tribes. Josue then left the camp 
of Galgal, and the ark was taken to Silo, in 
the tribe of Ephraim. 

This distribution was made with so much 
wisdom and impartiality, that no one had claims 
to make, and the neighboring nations remained 
in submission towards this people, so visibly 
favored by God. But the Lord would not per- 
mit them all to be exterminated ; He wished to 



DISBANDED SOLDIERS. 



269 



make use of them to try the fidelity of His 
people, to remind them of His mercies ; and as 
instruments of His justice, should the Israelites 
forget His favors. Thus, also, in the way 
of our redemption, does the Lord leave us 
enemies, permitting combats against us to 
awaken our senses, and to furnish us causes 
of merit and eternal reward. (Josue xviii. ; 
xxi.) 

And after these struggles, all the descendants 
of Abraham, and all those who shall be endow- 
ed with the faith, the charity, and the virtues 
of this holy patriarch, shall inherit the promised 
land ; that is, Heaven : there, there will be no 
combats ; there, no labor ; there, no agonizing 
sorrow, no suffering, no pain ; but ineffable de- 
light will satiate us forever ! Let us yearn for 
this celestial home ; let all our thoughts, our 
desires, and our affections, be centred in its 
possession. 

III. 

DISBANDED SOLDIERS. 

Aftek the Israelites came in possession of 
the promised land, their general deemed it just 
to dismiss the forty thousand Israelites of the 
tribes of Reuben, Gad, and of the half tribe of 
23* 



270 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 

Manasses, who had their lands beyond the 
Jordan. "Brethren," said he to them, "you 
have executed the orders of Moses ; you have 
obeyed with deference, you have fulfilled the 
will of the Lord, and He is satisfied with your 
submission. Now that we enjoy the peace 
which the Lord has promised us, you can return 
to your tents in the lands assigned to you ; but 
remember the words of Moses and the law of 
God ; love the Lord your God, walk in His 
ways, worship Him with fidelity, serve Him 
with your whole soul, and consecrate to Him 
all the affections of your hearts. I wish you all 
abundant blessings. Tou are now enriched 
with gold, silver, brass, iron, superb garments, 
and costly jewels. Share your wealth with 
those who have tilled your grounds whilst you 
have been fighting our enemies." Those good 
Israelites followed the advice of their general, 
and they departed from Silo to regain their 
own habitations beyond the river. When they 
reached the borders of the Jordan, the disband- 
ed soldiers erected an altar of excessive height, 
which they destined as a memorial of their great 
victories, and immediately after, they crossed 
the river, and each one repaired to his home. 
The tidings of this undertaking were soon 
spread amongst the different tribes, and they 



DISBAXDED SOLDIERS. 



271 



were scandalized thereby. "The altar," said 
they, " has been erected in honor of the false 
gods, and it is a monstrous infidelity; and, 
moreover, it is destined to offer oblations to 
the God of Israel, and this is an infraction of 
the law." The crime appeared without example, 
and they believed themselves exposed to the 
wrath of Heaven, were it to remain unpunished, 
so that an army was to be soon in readiness 
for an attack on the prevaricators. However, 
they had no desire to condemn brothers who 
had given them so many striking marks of their 
fidelity, and they determined to send out a depu- 
tation of ten men, taken from amongst the ten 
tribes ; Phinees, son of the high-priest, Eleazar, 
was to head them. "When they arrived at 
Galaad : " What means," said they, " the enor- 
mous crime into which you have fallen ? Who 
has prompted you to separate yourselves from 
God and your fathers, to erect a sacrilegious 
altar against His glory and His laws, and to 
stray from our holy worship ? You abandon 
the alliance of Israel, and to-morrow Israel 
shall become the prey of the vengeance of God. 
If you deem as impure and profane the lands 
which have been allotted to you, come with us, 
and dwell in view of the holy tabernacle. You 
were amongst us when Achan transgressed the 



272 CHILDREN OF THE PATEIAECHS. 



law of the Lord, and you saw the manner in 
which He manifested His anger ; one man had 
sinned, and how many were punished for his 
crime I' 5 " God knows the sincerity of our 
hearts," answered the accused, and full soon 
shall Israel be apprised thereof. If we have 
erected this monument in a spirit of disobe- 
dience and revolt, the Lord will punish us and 
abandon us. We built this altar upon the bor- 
der of the river, not as one whereon we would 
sacrifice victims, but as an eternal memorial for 
our brethren and for ourselves, with equal 
right to offer to the God of Israel unbloody 
sacrifices. Heaven preserve us from the at- 
tempt of which you accuse us ! We call God 
as a witness that we have not abandoned Him ; 
neither have we strayed from His' ways. We 
have not transgressed His law, because we have 
not erected this altar to prejudice that from 
whence He accepts the blood of victims. Phi- 
nees and his suite were delighted to find them so 
candid and so innocent. " Xo, you merit neither 
chastisement nor reproach," answered he, " you 
are exempt from sin; we believed ourselves 
exposed to the anger of God, but we now hope 
that He will shower down His abundant graces 
on all His children." They then hastened forth 
to inform Eleazar and their general of the 



PATEEXAL SOLICITUDE. 



273 



happy dispositions of their brethren. These 
tidings were received with great joy, and they 
offered loud thanksgivings to the Lord. This 
altar was called by those who erected it : Au- 
thentic monument, whereby we acknowledge that 
the God of Israel is the Lord our God. (Josue 
xxii.) 

This courageous zeal to defend the laws of 
God, was a mark of the innocence and fidelity 
of the children of God, who did not fall into 
any act of idolatry during the government of 
Josue. 

IV. 

PATERNAL SOLICITUDE. 

This great man had now attained the age of 
one hundred and ten years ; he was more worn 
by arduous labor than by old age. Full of so- 
licitude for his people, he feared that his death 
would occasion them to relapse into former 
errors ; and to prevent this, he called together 
a general assembly of the people at Silo, Dear 
the tabernacle, at which place the elders, the 
princes of the nation, the officers of the army, 
and the magistrates, gathered in multitudes ; 
" My brethren," said he to them, "you have 
witnessed the wonders which the Lord has 



274 



CHILD E EX OF THE PATRIAE CHS. 



operated to fulfil His promises ; He has fought 
for you. He lias made you victorious over the 
surrounding countries; you are in possession 
of the lands which were once occupied by 
the Canaanites. It is true they are not all ex- 
terminated, but they shall vanish from the face 
of the earth, and you shall possess the whole 
extent of the promised land. Yon must not, 
therefore, check the current of His blessings : 
bear up courageously, and keep the commands of 
our holy leader. Moses ; different nations will 
attempt to pervert you by their bad example ; 
but swear not in the name of their gods, nor 
adore their idols, nor oner them incense. Be 
forever faithful to the Lord our God, and 
under His guidance you shall see the most 
warlike people and the most formidable armies 
tremble at your approach ; one of your sol . 
shall attack and put to flight a thousand of the 
enemy ; the Lord fights for you against them, 
and what power has a multitude of warriors in 
the presence of the God of armies. Love the 
Lord with your whole heart, and I shall answer 
for His blessings. On the other hand, if you 
abandon Him to associate with idolatrous na- 
tions ; if you make illicit alliances vita them, 
God will withdraw His protection, and your 
enemies will triumph over you, and they will 



PATERNAL SOLICITUDE. 



275 



dwell in your very midst to chastise you. 
They will place precipices beneath your foot- 
steps ; they will set snares before your eyes ; 
they will blind you and bewilder you, till at 
length they will expel you from those beautiful 
and fertile lands which the Lord has given to 
you. As for myself, my brethren, I feel that 
my end is near, and I await the moment when 
I shall be called to my fathers. So near death, 
could I deceive you ? and, besides, you know 
that my words speak truth. Yes, you shall 
cease to be happy when you shall cease to serve 
the Lord. His anger shall be great, and His 
indignation shall break forth against the un- 
grateful. You were the cherished portion of 
His inheritance, and He shall disown you ; He 
has put you in possession of the most fertile 
country in the world, and He will drive you 
forth, and you shall be bound in chains in the 
midst of your enemies." (Josue xxiii.) 

What tender solicitude this holy general 
manifested towards his people ! And with 
reason did he fear that, at some future time, 
they would become forgetful of their duties 
towards God who had wrought so many won- 
ders in their behalf. 



276 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



V. 

FOURTH CONFIRMATION OF THE 
COVENANT. 

Before leaving forever his beloved Israel- 
ites, Josue wished to give them a last mark of 
his love ; he convoked, with the high-priest 
Eleazar, a last general assembly of all the 
peopb, at Sichem, there, where Abraham had 
formerly offered a sacrifice, and where the 
alliance was, for the first time, confirmed by 
promise. 

Those great gatherings of the nation were 
generally held at Silo, where the ark was 
placed ; not so this time, however, because 
Josue had been charged by Moses to inter at 
Sichem the precious remains of Joseph, which 
had been taken from Egypt to Canaan, by the 
express order of the holy patriarch. He ac- 
quitted himself of this duty, and the ceremony 
was accompanied with all the pomp demand- 
ed by the dignity and the virtue of so great 
a personage. His body was inhumed near 
Sichem, in the field which Jacob had bought 
from the children of Hemor, for the value of one 
hundred sheep, and which was at the moment 



FOURTH CQXFIUMATIOX OF COVESTAOT. 277 



of the distribution of the lands, situated in the 
portion of Ephraim, son of Joseph. 

A large concourse of people having assembled, 
Josue addressed them thus : " My brethren, 
God now speaks to you through me. From 
the commencement, your fathers have dwelt 
upon the other side of the Jordan. Thare, the 
father of Abraham and of Nachor, did not pass 
the river, and your forefathers have served false 
gods in Mesopotamia. From thence I with- 
drew Abraham to place him in the land of 
Canaan ; I promised him a numerous posterity ; 
I gave him Isaac, and to Isaac I gave Jacob, 
who went forth into Egypt with all his chil- 
dren. There they multiplied considerably, and 
I sent Moses and Aaron ; I performed a great 
many miracles, and delivered you from captivity ; 
you established yourselves on the borders of 
the sea. Hemmed in on one side by the deep, 
on the other, by the formidable army of the 
Egyptians, your loud cries reached my ear, 
and I listened to your voice. I screened you 
from the Egyptians, who were swallowed up 
by the waters of the sea, whilst you passed 
through its w r aters without danger ; and when 
sojourning in the wilderness did I not fight 
for you against the Amorites, and have you 
not become possessors of their lands ? Balac 
2 



278 CHILDEEX OF THE PATEIAECHS. 



raised up the prophet Balaam to curse you, but 
instead, he gave you blessings. You know in 
what manner you crossed the Jordan, how 
you entered Jericho., and how you extermi- 
nated the people of Canaan. Ton have drawn 
your sword, bent your bow, and shot forth your 
arrows, but neither sword nor arrows gained 
you your victories ; it is your God who has put 
you in possession of the promised land, of 
cities you have not built, and of the olive-trees, 
and of the vines you have not planted : such in 
your behalf, are the works of iny Almighty 
hand, the marvels of my mercy. 

"Now my brethren," continued the holy 
patriarch, "fear the Lord as well as love 
Him with all the strength of . your hearts. 
Obey Him with pure love, practise His laws, 
and shun the infamous gods which your fathers 
and their children have served in Mesopotamia 
and even in Egypt ; or if you choose to 
abandon the service of God, you are free : take 
then and adore those divinities, whose worship- 
pers you have vanquished. As for me*and 
mine, we shall adore the Lord, and we shall die 
whilst adoring Him." " What is this ?" expos- 
tulated the people. "Away with those abomi- 
nations. We could never abandon the Lorcl 
after the great wonders Lie has wrought in our 



FOURTH COXFIRMATIOX OF COVENANT. 219 



favor ! We shall never adore but Him, because 
He alone is the Sovereign, the Father, and the 
Protector of Israel." " Xo," responded Josue, 
" you cannot serve G od and false gods. Your 
God is holy, He is powerful, He is a jealous 
God. Your first attempts towards false gods 
will provoke His just anger; He will abandon 
you, and after having loaded you with favcre, 
He will crush you with calamities." "Xo, 
no," answered they, " the evils wherewith you 
threaten us shall not be ; we shall remain faith- 
ful to the Lord, and we shall serve but Him for- 
ever." " Well," replied Josue, " I beiiere you 
upon your words; and you shall be some day 
your own accusers if you violate them ; tell me 
if it be not by your own free will that you 
serve the Lord ?" " Yes," replied the multi- 
tude, "and if we perjure ourselves, that our 
words condemn us." " Then strike down," 
said Josue, " the idols which still remain 
amongst you ; exterminate the idolaters, and 
turn your affections,' your thoughts, and your 
hopes towards the Lord God of Israel, whom 
you have chosen for your God." " We shall 
do so," they exclaimed anew, " w T e shall serve 
the Lord and obey His laws." 

The holy general then reminded the people 
of their promises and their obligations, as 



280 



CHILDEEX OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



Moses had done before his death, and like him, 
he wished to renew their alliance with God, 
and to have this ceremony written down and 
added to the volume of the law which was 
placed in the ark. In order to impress the 
whole concourse of people, Josue commanded 
an enormous stone to be placed under an oak, 
then turning to the multitude he said : " Behold 
this stone shall be a testimony unto you, for it 
hath heard all the words of the Lord, which He 
hath spoken to yon, lest perhaps hereafter ye 
deny it, and lie to the Lord." After these re- 
markable warnings, the multitude dispersed. 
(Josue xxiv.) 

Nothing more could be expected from the 
zeal of this holy general, than this solemn 
renewal of the alliance of God with His people ; 
and if during his life he was the bravest and 
the most skilful warrior of his nation, he was 
also the holiest of men. . 

VI. 

DEATH OF AN ILLUSTRIOUS 
COXQUEROR. 

Before Jesus Christ, 1580. 

Soon after this solemn ceremony, the princes 
and the elders of the people were convoked 



DEATH OF A CONQUEROR. 



281 



anew, upon the death of Jo sue. He was one 
hundred and ten years of age, and worn out by 
pain and labor, his end did not surprise his 
children, though his loss was irretrievable to 
all. In him, they lost a great general, an angel 
of counsel and of strength, the friend of God, 
the confidant of His secrets, and the depositary 
of His power. He was great even in his name : 
Josue or Jesus, figure of Him who should be in 
the ages to come, the true Josue — the Saviour 
of all the people of the world ; prophet and 
successor of Moses, he taught the children of 
Israel with as much zeal as he fought for them; 
conqueror of the Amalekites, he had gained 
advantage and victory for Israel. Caleb and 
he, alone, took no part in the sedition of 
His people, and he merited on the whole the 
praises of the Lord. Leader of the children of 
Israel, and commander of the armies of God, 
he renewed the miracles of Moses, and even 
perhaps wrought greater ones. More fortunate 
than Moses, he seldom found mutiny amongst 
his people, and he was less severe. 

Josue was bom in Egypt, fifty-three years be- 
fore the going out of the Hebrews from thence 
under Moses ; he had spent forty years, in the 
wilderness as the confidential minister of this 
great man, and he was ninety-four years of age 
24* 



» 



282 CHILDREN OF THE PATRIARCHS . 



when he succeeded him. For six entire years, 
he was armed continually for the protection of 
the people, and for the conquest of the prom- 
ised land. During the ten last years which 
were years of peace, he regulated, with the 
high-priest, the civil and political governments ; 
he enforced the rules of Closes, and kept up the 
ceremonies of Religion. 

This great man was buried in the town of 
Thamnathsare, which he had rebuilt, and which 
was given to him by his people. His funeral 
was accompanied with the same ceremonies as 
that of Moses, and the people mourned for him 
the same length of time. 

The death of Josue was followed by that of 
the high-priest Eleazar, third son of Aaron, 
who had succeeded his father by the death of 
his brothers Xaclab and Abiu. He was buried 
in the town of Gabaath, which was given to his 
son Phinees, likely on account of the zeal of this 
great man at the time of the prevarication, and 
the idolatry of Israel in the temple of Beel- 
phegor, or of the victory gained over the kings 
of Midian ; he succeeded his father in the min- 
istry. (Josue xxiv.) 



FIGUBES. 



283 



m 

FIGURES. 

This great man whom God had chosen to 
lead forth His people into the promised land, 
was, like Moses, one of the most beautiful fig- 
ures of the Messiah ; and indeed, Josue means 
Saviour ; Jesus means Saviour. Moses could 
not lead forth His people into the premised 
land; this power was granted only to his suc- 
cessor, Josue. Our Lord also succeeds Moses. 
His law replaces old law, and He alone has the 
power to lead His people into the promised 
land — Heaven ! 

Josue triumphs by numerous and marvellous 
victories over the enemies of His people, who 
opposed his settling on their lands. Jesus 
Christ triumphs by His numerous victories, and 
by His miracles over the enemies of Chris- 
tianism who opposed Him. Josue bade the sun 
to stand still. Our Saviour bids the light of 
truth to shine forth whilst that of the Gospel is 
spread throughout the world. 

After having given wise advice to his people, 
Josue went to his fathers. The Saviour, after 
having given to His disciples, and to the world 
the wisest of precepts, and the most admirable 



284 CHILDEE^ OF THE PATRIARCHS. 

of lessons, ascends from this earth to dwell 
with His eternal Father. 

The Hebrews remained happy as long as 
they practised the wise lessons of Josue ; but 
were they to neglect them, they were imme- 
diately to fall into the hands of their enemies to 
be their slaves. 

Christians are happy as long as they follow 
the lessons of the Divine Master ; but if they 
become unfaithful, they will be the slaves of 
Satan, and their passions will tyrannize over 
them. 



THE EXD. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 

Preface 5 



THE CHILDBED OF THE PATEIAECHS EN" SLAYEE Y. 

EXILE PREFERRED TO GLORY, 

L — Children thrown into the Nile 11 

IL— The Eush Basket 15 

III.— Love of Virtue IS 

IY. — Generous Sacrifice 20 

THE TERM OF A LONG EXILE. • 

I. — The Well of Midian 23 

II. — Flames which do not consume 25 

III. — The Miraculous Eod 28 

I V. — Happy Meeting at Mount Horeb 32 

THE CHILDEEN OF THE PATEIAECHS DELIYEEED 
FEOM BONDAGE. 

STRANGE OBDURACY. 

I. — Increase of Labor 35 

IL— A Serpent. 38 

III.— Blood, Frogs, Gnats, and Flies 41 

IY.— The Murrain, the Ulcers, and the Hail 46 

Y. — The Locusts and the Darkness 49 

YL— The Blood of the Lamb 53 

YIL— Eighth Figure , 56 

YIIL— A Universal Cry 58 

DEPLORABLE RESULT OF STRANGE OBDURACY. 

I.— Three Millions of Captives set at Liberty . 60 

IL— The Pillar of Fire 63 

III. — Two Armies in presence of each other , . 65 



286 



CONTEXTS. 



PAGE 

IY. — The Desiruction of a whole Army 63 

Y. — A Sublime Canticle 71 



THE CHILDEEN OF THE PATE I AB CHS AT THE FOOT OF 
MOUNT SINAI. 

MIEACLES IX THE B*ESEET OF ARABIA. 

I.— The Waters of Mara < 75 

IL— The Quails 77 

III. — Bread from Heaven 78 

IY. — Ninth Figure 81 

Y. — The Eock of Horeb S3 

YI. — Figure of the Cross 85 

YII. — A Family Meeting 88 

YIII. — A Salutary Counsel 90 

MIGHTY DISPLAY FOP. THE PROMULGATION OF THE LAW. 

I. — Solemn Propositions 92 

II. — Ten Divine Sentences 95 

III.— Fear of Death 98 

IY. — Divine Precepts 100 

Y. — First Confirmation of the Alliance 102 

T I. —Tenth Figure 104 

STRANGE PREVARICATION. 

I.— A Fast of Forty Days 107 

II.— Horrible Prevarication 110 

III. — Extermination of Idolaters 112 

I V. — The Book of Life . , 116 

Y.— Time of Prayer 11 S 

YL— The Name of Jehovah 120 

YII. — Eadiant Appearance of the Holy Legislator 123 

LAWS RELATING TO PUBLIC WORSHIP. 

I — Superfluous Offerings 125 

I [.—The Tabernacle 127 

IIL— The Ark 130 

IY.— The Bread of Proposition 132 

Y.— The Golden Candlestick 134 



CONTEXTS. 287 

PAGE 

YL— The Altar of Incense and the Altar of Holocausts 135 

VII— Sacerdotal Eobes 136 

Till. — Solemn Consecration 139 

IX.— Sacred Ministry 143 

X.— Solemn Feast . . ' 145 

TEEEIBLE SANCTION OF THE LAW. 

I —Strange Fire 146 

II— A Blasphemer 148 

III.— Contemner of the Sabbath 149 



THE CHLLPEEX OF THE PATRIARCHS TTAXDEEIXG IN 
THE WILDERKfESS. 

EEMEMBEANCE OF THE FLESH POTS OF EGYPT. 

I. — The Organization of a Camp 151 

II. — Renewed Murmurs 153 

III. — Guilty Eeminiscence 155 

IT. — The Graves of Lust 158 

V. — A Leprosy of Seven Days 160 

A MILLION OF MEN EXILED. 

I. — Twelve Spies 163 

II— A Penitence of Forty Tears 166 

III. — A Complete Defeat 170 

AMBITION JUSTLY PUNISHED. 

L — The Eevolt of Three Chiefs 1T2 

II. — Destruction of the Rebels 1T6 

III.— The Pontiff with Censer in Hand ITS 

IT.— The Rod in Blossom 181 

TERM OF FORTY YEATiS OF PROSCRIPTION. 

I. — Death of Mary 1S3 

II.— The Water of Contradiction 1S5 

III.— The Remains of the Pontiff , 1ST 

IT. — The Brazen Serpent 190 

T. — The Giant Og 191 

SAL AC AND BUS PBOPHET. 

L— The Avaricious Prophet 193 

II. — The Reprimands of an Ass 19G 



288 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 

III. — Blessings for Maledictions 198 

IV. — Perfidious Advice 202 

V.— Treachery Punished 205 

LAST '"WORDS OF THE LEGISLATOR OF ISRAEL. 

I.— Grievous Tidings 208 

II. — Second Confirmation of the Covenant 212 

III.— The Successor of Moses 216 

IY.— Death of the Legislator of Israel 218 



THE CHILDKEN OF THE PATEIAECHS TAKING POS- 
SESSION OF THE PEOMISED LAND. 

PREPARATIONS FOR A GREAT CONQUEST. 

I. — Glorious Mission 222 

II. — A Eed String 225 

III. — An Obstacle Overcome 230 

THE RESULTS OF A SACRILEGIOUS PREVARICATION. 

L— The Third Easter 233 

II.— A Prince of the Celestial Armies 236 

III. — A Military March 238 

IV. — Eesult of Sacrilege ■ 242 

Y. — Successful Stratagem 247 

YI. — Third Confirmation of the Covenant 249 

DESTRUCTION OF THE SOUTHERN LEAGUE. 

I. — Strange Imposture 251 

II."- Water- Carriers 254 

III.— The Longest Day 256 

I Y.— Five Kings in a Cavern 259 

DEFEAT OF THE LEAGUE OF THE NORTH. 

L — A War of Five Years 263 

IL— Distribution of the Inheritance of the Lord 267. 

III.— Disbanded Soldiers ' 269 

IY.— Paternal SoTujiTude^. 273 

Y. — Fourth' Confirmation of the Covenant 276 

YI. — Deata of an Illustrious Conqueror 280 

VIL-FigmU 283 

°* ■ ?\ 



